The Disappearance of Norma Bates
by AngeloftheMorning1978
Summary: Norma Bates pulls a 'Gone Girl' on her abusive husband Sam Bates and flees to the isolated town of White Pine Bay. She and her son Dylan are soon discovered by local Deputy Alex Romero.
1. Chapter 1

The Disappearance of Norma Bates

 **The Republic**

 _Sunday, June 24th, 2001. Arcadia Arizona near Phoenix, Arizona_

 **Mother and son go missing**

Local business man and real estate developer Sam E. Bates, is asking the public's help with any information on the disappearance of his 27 year old wife Norma Bates and ten year old step-son Dylan.

Mrs. Bates and the child were last seen driving home after the end of school year celebrations with his classmates at Arcadia Elementary. The Bates family having lived in the affluent neighborhood of Arcadia since their marriage in 1994. They have a young son together who is five, and was staying with his grandmother Rose at the time. The youngest Bates child is accounted for.

Sam Bates arrived home around six to find the family home in disarray with evidence of a break in. He said nothing of value was taken, his safe and valuables were untouched, but his wife and stepson were missing, but that the family's Land Rover was parked in the garage.

Mr. Bates had reached out to friends and family before alerting the police.

Mrs. Norma Bates is 27 years old, is 5'5, with long brown hair and eyes. She wears glasses and is roughly 180 pounds. Dylan Bates is ten years old with brown hair and blue eyes.

The most recent picture of the missing mother and son was taken two years ago. Mr. Bates claims his wife didn't like to be photographed because of her weight problems.

Sam Bates is offering a $10,000 reward for any information leading to his wife and step-son's safe return.

Any information about this case can be directed to Bill Tomas of the Phoenix Police department.

 **The Republic**

 _Monday, July 2nd, 2001 Phoenix Arizona_

 **Suspicion shifts in Bates case**

With no leads, no witnesses and no new information on Norma Bates and her ten year old son Dylan, detectives have begun to investigate the family home for clues. Sources close to the investigation say there is a growing suspicion around the husband, Sam E. Bates, a local real estate developer.

Recent whispers of a history of violence within the Bates household have now cast Sam Bates in an unfavorable light. Norma Bates had visited a local emergency room with her other child, a five year old son, claiming he'd fallen. Doctors treated the boy for a head injury and noticed bruises that Mrs. Bates attributed to playing outside with his older brother.

The younger child is currently in the care of his father and paternal grandmother.

Sam Bates and his mother Rose refused comment.

The parents of Arcadia Elementary have plenty to say about this case. Parents knowing or having seen the reclusive mother and noticing something was wrong.

"Mrs. Bates never said a word to anyone. She always wore those big sunglasses, never even got out of the car. Dylan was never allowed to play sports or have friends over. It wasn't normal at all." said one mother who asked no to be identified. "She was a heavy set woman. I mean, I hate to say fat, but maybe she ate her feelings. We all do sometimes."

Detectives on the case have refused comment and are still asking for the public's help in any sighting of Mrs. Bates or her ten year old son.

Norma Bates was last seen on Friday, June 22nd picking up her son Dylan from school. She was wearing a brown dress and large dark sunglass over her normal glasses. Norma Bates is 27 years old, has long brown hair and brown eyes, she's 5'5 and weighs 180 pounds. Her son Dylan is ten years old with brown hair and blue eyes. They both went missing from their Arcadia neighborhood home.

 **The Arizona Daily Star**

 _Monday July 16th, 2001, Phoenix Arizona_

 **Arrest made in Bates case.**

Sam E. Bates was arrested for the murder of his wife Norma and step son Dylan last night after police say they'd discovered strong evidence in the house of foul play. A source close to the investigation says this evidence was most likely blood that had been cleaned up by the perpetrator given the sudden lab testing that was done inside the house.

Suspicions were cast on Sam Bates almost immediately after his wife and step-son's disappearance. Sam Bates having a history of domestic violence against his wife and several compelling emergency room visits concerning the two boys. Mrs. Bates had taken them to different emergency rooms over the years to try avoiding social services involvement.

Investigators found doctors notes that Dylan Bates had a broken arm earlier that month. A fact Mr. Bates did not disclose to police in the original missing persons report. He'd also failed to supply the police with any recent photographs of his wife and step-son claiming he couldn't find them. Sam Bates had also waited two days, alerting only his mother and a friend that his wife and step-son was missing, before calling the police. This has also been deemed suspicious by investigators.

Bail has been set for one million in this case. Sam E. Bates holdings are estimated to be worth several million from his building shares and is considered a flight risk.

 **The National Examiner**

 _Sunday, August 26th, 2001 Arizona_

 **Things look grim for Sam Bates**

With his wife and step son missing and presumed dead, it came as no great shock that Sam Bates, the emotionless husband and father, was arrested for their murder.

Police have now disclosed that a significant amount of blood was found in the house matching Norma Bates' blood type. It's suggesting that she didn't survive the wound and it was doubtful that an intruder had caused the injury and removed the body since there had been an attempt at cleaning up.

"We utilize special chemicals to see blood even if it's been cleaned." a police spokesperson said.

This new information on top of verified reports of child abuse and failure to report is wife and step-son missing right away have all lead to Sam Bates' arrest.

Now it seems he can't even make bail until trial because there is three million dollars missing from his business accounts and that of his partners. Forensic accountants have been called in and shareholders notified. This isn't the first time Sam Bates was arrested for fraud. He was acquitted nine years ago in Florida due to lack of evidence.

Despite a nation wide media campaign, Norma Bates and her ten year old son Dylan are missing and are now presumed dead.

A younger child, who was staying with his grandmother at the time of his mother's and brother's disappearance, has been staying in her custody until the trail ends.

The trail is expected to start next month and DA Doug Wells stated: "We have a very promising case against Sam Bates."

Sam Bates and his lawyer have refused comment.

~ **Norma Bates is dead. Norma Bates is dead. Norma Bates is dead.**

With every passing mile, I have to tell myself that this is true. Maybe someday soon, I'll even believe it.

Norma Bates never really existed to begin with. She was a ghost living in that mansion in an oasis in the desert. That ridiculous planned community where no one noticed her. No one noticed her children being abused or Sam hitting her. Her selfish mother-in-law trying to steal her child and calling her crazy.

No, all they saw was the expensive SUV and private school they sent Dylan to. The pricey mansion with a pool; but no furniture inside it. It was all a facade, a blind to make Sam Bates look good and it was crumbling now. With every passing mile, ever new state she entered, Sam Bates was falling deeper into a hole he couldn't crawl out of.

I look at my son Dylan with his new buzz cut and the cast still on his arm. An arm that Sam broke because he'd been drinking and caught Dylan messing around with his tools.

I knew I was done with Sam long before he broke my son's arm. I knew I was done when he punched my youngest child in the face and claimed he'd provoked him. How does a three year old provoke anyone? Bastard.

So, I began to plan our escape. I could feel this fire inside me burning like something out of mythology. This monster of a woman ready to rip itself free and for the first time in my life, I could see what I had to do. I must have looked pathetic enough, huddled in the boys room with their mattress on the floor, Norman crying and Dylan whispering he was scared, but God, I'd never felt more alive. Never more powerful; like I could have snapped my husband's neck in that moment.

I don't know why I hadn't killed Sam then, but that monster inside me, that newborn animal hissed wisely to wait. That it's not enough that he die, he has to suffer first.

This feeling didn't pass with a night's sleep, as most things do. I woke up with a plan and put it to action. As soon as Sam was gone for the day, everything would change. I started to remove myself and the boys from family photo albums read everything I could on crime scenes and forensic investigations.

But that wasn't enough. Not even close, with Norman always being 'babysat' by his grandmother Rose I decided to hit the gym hard. I needed to be strong mentally and physically; but most importantly, I needed to be unrecognizable to people who knew me now. Before I'd been content to watch TV and eat, but not anymore. Now, my anger, the thing that fed the monster, needed that energy to thrive and grow.

I started eating better and losing the weight. Weight I'd helplessly gained after my son's birth and on our family's diet of fried foods. I told no one I'd hired a personal trainer who helped me to lose fifty pounds in less than a year. I kept wearing baggy clothes, kept dying my hair brown, kept wearing my glasses although I got blue contacts that made me look like a completely different person.

I could feel myself radically changing. Not like a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis, but like a dragon emerging from the embers of a fire. Soon enough, I'd destroy Sam, his possessive mother and everything they held dear. I'd steal back my son and we'd run away.

With money, a thing that Sam hoarded, you can buy anything. It was at the gym, a good hours' drive from our neighborhood, that I met Victoria Deeds. The woman who's identity I would assume. She was my height, blond, beautiful, toned and with artful tattoos all over her body. She was the kind of woman I could never be, but the kind of woman the newborn dragon inside me hissed that I could trust.

Victoria had been in a motorcycle accident several years ago, an incident that had left her body broken, but and had somehow renewed her spirit. She left her fiancé as soon as she was out of the hospital and started to travel the world. In fact, she would be going to Spain in May to get married to a wealthy executive who seemed to follow her around like a little puppy.

She told me how she doubted she'd be back to the states and it would be a simple matter to just, assume her life in her absence. Her parents were dead, she had no siblings and she sympathized with my situation. The real Victoria Deeds would be the only person who knew the truth.

With her help, I was able to get a new driver's license with her name using her birth certificate. I'd dyed my hair blond like hers and cut it short, I'd wear a brown wig until it came time to make my move. Sam would never notice.

As for the boys, that's where the money came in. Over $40,000 in cash gave me perfect birth certificates with the names John and Brian Deeds. No one would suspect as long as Victoria stayed out of the country. It was easier to forge a made up identity of young children, but I needed to have a history, schools, medical records for someone as old as I already was.

It was easy to get the cash from Sam. It was even easier to create the money troubles and point investigators in the direction of fraud. He had me do his bookkeeping since we were married and I had access to all his accounts.

For two years I waited until the time was right. Saving cash money, buying a cheap economy car for cash online, keeping everyone at arms length including my husband.

Maybe I won't do it. Maybe I won't do this crazy thing of faking my own disappearance and take the boys away. Maybe we can work it out.

Then Sam broke Dylan's arm and that was it. It was go time.

I waited until Dylan was done with school for the year. He had no idea that the car down the block was packed with his and Norman's clothes. Only the essentials. Things Sam wouldn't notice were gone. Dylan and Norman would never see this house or Sam again. We were free.

Then, Sam's mother Rose had to go and turn my plan to shit. She'd always been so possessive of our son Norman. Hated the name I'd given him and called him 'Her Little Sammy' out of spite. She came to the house before I could pick Dylan up at school and took Norman.

"I'm going to have his hair cut." Rose said even as I told her she couldn't take him. The bigger, stronger woman practically shoving my child into her car. "You can have him back when you calm down, Norma!"

She pushed me in the chest, a tactic that her son was so fond of using and mumbled something under her breath about me being unstable.

For some time now, I know that Sam and Rose were talking about sending me away. Sending me to a rehab for some made up mental problem. They were alway gas lighting me and lately, their efforts had seemed intensified. The moment Rose would walk into my home, announced or uninvited, she would tell me I looked tired and would constantly ask if I was alright. Then she should take Norman for the day and that my son should call her 'Mamma'.

I'll always regret answering the door that day.

My plan was already in motion. I couldn't stop it now. The crime scene had already been staged in the master bathroom. I'd spent the morning pouring out and cleaning up a quart of my own blood that I'd learn to draw off a youtube video. There was no going back now.

The bags were packed, we were leaving. Without Norman, but with over $100,000 in cash.

~ "Mom?" Dylan looked wide eyed at his mother who emerged from the motel bathroom. Her slender body, short blond hair and contacts instead of heavy glasses were all radial changes, but they were nothing compared to the big smile on her face.

"What do you think?" his mother laughed and spun around in her form fitting jeans and t-shirt like a ballerina.

"You look… nice." Dylan giggled and ran his good hand over his fresh buzz cut hair. "Really different."

"It's important we look different." she said eagerly. "You know why? Remember?"

Dylan wasn't used to seeing his mother this way. The blue eyes and make up and the blond hair made her look like another person entirely.

"Because we're hiding." he said.

She nodded.

"Remember, we have new names to." she said.

"I'm John." he said.

"And I'm Vicki." she grinned happily.

"Norman?" Dylan asked.

His mother's face fell.

"We're going to get your brother soon. As soon as we can." she promised.

"Grandma Rose took him. She won't want to give him back." he told her. He didn't want to tell his mom how his step-dad Sam was talking to the older woman about sending his mother away.

"She won't have a choice." his mother said with a grim determination he wasn't used to seeing. "We're getting your brother back. We just have to lay low for a while. Be invisible."

"How long?" Dylan asked. He liked all the driving he was doing with just him and his mom. They felt like wild outlaws running from state to state and were now in Northern California. His mother watching the news earnestly and not seeing anything that caught her interest.

"You'll never go back to Arizona." she promised. "But you'll start school in the fall."

"Where?" he asked eagerly.

His mother opened the road map and asked him where he wanted to go. A big grin on her face as she did it.

"As far from Arizona as possible!" Dylan said eagerly. He looked at the map and traced his hands along it. It had been his favorite pastime in the car while his mother drove. He'd played her navigator and she'd made him feel very important. He looked at the different colored states and shook his head at the pink ones. He decided against yellow to. Arizona had been yellow and he didn't want to live in a dessert again.

Finally he pointed to a green colored state.

"Oregon?" his mother laughed.

"Yeah!" Dylan said. "It's green."

"Well, alright." she said and hugged and kissed him.


	2. Chapter 2

**So, I know the first part of this story was a different formant from how I normally write. I'm not used to writing in the first person at all. So I've decided to have Norma keep a diary because a lot of 'GONE GIRL' is first person and through diary entires. Both Nick and Amy tell their story in the first person. It's an amazing book and if you haven't seen the movie, read the book first. It will blow you away.**

 **I also know that Norma would never leave Norman behind easily, but at first I thought about having Sam kill Norman. Then I decided that was too grim. So, hopefully our heroic Alex will help Norma rescue her son if he doesn't decide to turn her in.**

 **Keep in mind Norma is an abused woman and Dylan is an abused child so they'll be defensive and scared of relationships.**

 **Thanks for the feedback an I love hearing from you guys. I know this is a new story formate I'm playing with and we're just seeing if it's going to work or not. At the very least, we can have some Norma and Alex love tension which is always nice.**

2.

~ Norma had found them a furnished cabin to stay in for a few weeks. A few weeks here and there was the best they could do for now. They would run, from state to state, only to circle back to Arizona to get Norman when Sam was arrested.

It had been remarkably easy; the drive from Arizona to Oregon. Dylan hadn't complained much and hand't asked many questions. He'd seemed relived just to get away from Sam.

She'd found the highway took her right into a picturesque county that had a billboard advertising weekly rentals of summer cabins. The kind of thing families would rent who went white water rafting or mounting biking or hiking.

The cabins were old and the pool condemned, but Norma sensed they would be private and left alone here. The owner of the property telling them they had a computer in the front lobby for her to use; free of charge.

Dylan hadn't seemed to mind the down graded living conditions. His mother paying for a month in advance on the musty little cabin with a TV that barely got any reception and a tiny micro kitchen thrown in almost like an afterthought.

Still, it was theirs and Dylan had a cramped little bedroom that belonged to him. Outfitted with new, clean sheets she's bought him at Bed, Bath & Beyond.

She'd instructed him to play outside, and enjoy the majestic outdoors. It was rare that he could do such a thing. Rare that they be outside without the worry someone might see them; but they were a long way from Arizona now. They both looked different than the pictures of themselves she'd made sure to leave behind and it was unlikely anyone would recognize them.

She had her diary on her lap and watched Dylan throw rocks into the condemned pool for a while before she started writing in it. His white cast seeming to radiate in the morning light like snow. It reminded her again why she'd done all this. Why she **had** to do all this.

She'd kept the diary ever since Norman's 'fall' and had hidden it in the AC vent of the house were Sam or Rose would never think to look for it. She had to keep a diary to keep her thoughts and plans organized. To keep herself motivated.

She'd never kept a diary before, never thought of herself as a writer before, but words and ideas had suddenly become powerful once written. She would write them down and it was like they had stopped being something that she 'might' do and stated becoming something she 'would' do.

She liked the diary she'd bought a few days after she'd taken Norman to the emergency room. It was a thick leather thing. The kind of book fit for a witch's grimoire and the first few months she wrote non stop about her life, her parents, her brother, Dylan, Norman, Sam and their marriage.

It was brutal. Like standing naked in front of a mirror and seeing all the things you didn't like about yourself. It was painful and horrible, but she had to do it.

Sam hadn't allowed her to have the internet at the house, or a cell phone, so she had to go to the library to do all her research. Going to the gym, eating right and losing weight had been the easy part. The hard part was staging her own crime scene and finding her new identity.

But now that it was done, now that she was here, she wondered if she'd made a mistake.

She took her pen up and opened the tick leather volume.

 _' Dylan and I are safe here in Oregon. As far as we could get from Sam before leaving the country. Some county with pine in the name. Pine is in the name of everything here. White Pine, Pine Bay, Pine View, Pine Valley, Pine Mountains. They are very proud of the pine trees here. It is beautiful and I wish we could stay here forever. It's peaceful. Birds singing and everything is green. I can see mountains. Real mountains to with snow on them. No more dry desert air where nothing grows and the lakes are man made._

 _We drove for days and here we are. Like the pioneers of the Old West. Only without a member of our party. I feel so empty without Norman. I have his clothes and his stuffed dog in the car, but no Norman. I can't forgive myself for leaving him behind but I couldn't pull him away from Rose once that woman had him. She pushed me down and if I'd called the police, there would have been a report. I couldn't have that. Not once my plan was in motion. Everything had to be under the radar._

 _The thing is, as much as I hate to admit it, Rose would never abuse him. He's being well taken care of. Even if they are telling him I'm dead now. In a few weeks, I'll go and get him. I know her schedule and she won't know or expect the new me._

 _It was the right thing to do. What I did. I know it was extreme and I can't take it back, I know Sam will go to prison forever, but it was the right thing to do. He hurt me and that was my own fault. But he hurt my children and I can't forgive him for that._

 _If I'd just left him, he would have found me. Arizona favors fathers. Its' judges are all men and they favor fathers. I have no job, no education and Sam and Rose would have hired some fancy lawyer to take Norman away from me._

 _They were already trying to gaslight me. Trying to make me think I was a bad mother when HE was the bad father. He was the one who broke Dylan's arm. I was only wrong for helping him get away with it._

 _No, what I did was right. He was cheating his partners and I made his crimes more obvious. He was hurting his family and I only made that crime more obvious to. I'm sick of him getting away with it. Everyone always gets away with everything and I'm sick of it!'_

Norma fished that last sentence with a flourish. She's pressed the pen on the paper down so hard it left a mark into the next page. He anger still evident even days after their escape. She didn't like that she was so angry but it was better that she was angry on paper than in person.

She looked over her previous writings. Her inspirational quotes to keep her motivated, her previous entires had seemed so harsh and angry when she was creating her plan.

Now that the thing was done, she was almost in shock that she'd done it.

She realized the big heavy diary could be evidence against her if ever found, but she refused to even think about getting rid of it. She quickly stashed it back in the cabin. Under her mattress with the cash money and went down the trail to the lobby to look online.

It was time to see if Norma Bates had been missed.

~ Norma had been a little disappointed to discover her story hadn't made bigger news. That Sam had waited two days to report her missing.

The dragon inside her seethed.

 _'Looks bad for you, Sammy Boy'_ it hissed when she read the small article in the local paper. She and Dylan were classified as missing and she was relived to see Norman was still under the care of Rose. Still, it had been three days and Sam had just now reported it? Did he honestly think she would come back? She had made sure not to take anything noticeable. Not to pack any bags that he would miss.

Hell, the family SUV was still in the garage. Her purse and ID was on the kitchen counter. Was he an idiot? No, the article had said he'd called family and friends first. Meaning he'd called his mother to tell him what to do. Also, the small reward money had pissed her off to. Sam Bates was worth a lot more than what he was offering. It was an insult.

 _'Makes you look guilty.'_ the dragon fumed happily. She could picture this dragon inside her clutching its' solitary egg and eyeing it's missing egg greedily.

 _'I'll get Norman back.'_ she thought. She would go back to her cabin right now and write that in her dairy. If she wrote it down, then it would happen. She found that it would happen if she wrote it down. Her thoughts wouldn't be just thoughts anymore, they would become actions. Powerful actions that made her powerful. Perhaps her diary was a witches grimoire, capable of magic once she decided to put it use.

She saw the old grainy picture of herself on the computer screen. The news asking of leads to the missing Norma Bates. The unflattering picture was one of the half dozen or so that she'd left behind. A picture that was out of focus and could have been of anyone. She looked nothing like the creature in the picture now. The dark brown hair and dark sunglasses she always wore then. Her added weight really distorted her face to. Dylan looked different to with the hair she'd purposefully kept dyed brown. Not at all like the kid she knew he would be without cosmetic modifications. There had been nothing at all in the missing persons report about Dylan's broken arm. Maybe Sam hadn't wanted to explain it, but it was all the better for them.

"I will get Norman back." she whispered to the computer screen.

~ Deputy Alex Romero had caught a kid throwing rocks in the windows of one of the abandoned homes of Pine Wood Street near the old cabins. Around the same time Norma Bates was thinking there were too many things named for 'Pine' around 'White Pine Bay' he was thinking the same thing.

A simple flash of lights and a loud chirp of the sirens had made the kid with the snowy cast on his arm jump.

He hadn't been breaking the law exactly, Alex would have loved to have thrown rocks through old windows of an abandoned house when he was this kids age.

To his credit, the kid didn't run away when he saw the cop car. He just turned around to face the music. A guilty and ashamed look on his face. He looked ready to burst into tears at any moment. Like he expected Alex to start beating him.

Perhaps it was from his own childhood, but Alex could always sense these kids. Smell them a mile away. The look of fear in their eyes. The constant walking on egg shells wherever they were and then the outrageous outburst of anger whenever they couldn't stand it anymore.

He could always tell the kids who were used to the casual slap across the face or cruel words that cut to the bone. He didn't bother asking how the boy got his broken arm. He already knew. Already knew daddy got drunk and the kid wouldn't stop bugging him during the big game. Or worse yet, brought home a C on his report card, and mom went into the other room while daddy lashed out the punishment.

"Folks staying at the cabins?" was all Alex asked and nodded to the run down summer place that would be condemned next year by the county.

The boy with the buzz cut looked afraid to say anything and afraid not to say anything.

"My… my mom and I. Just us." he said in a small voice. His eyes wide with fear.

Alex nodded and picked up a rock from the ground. He expertly flicked it at the grimy window and shattered the last of them.

"Well, hop in. I'll drive you back." he said.

"No." the kid said worriedly

"You're not in trouble." Alex said quickly. "I'll tell your mom you were out walking and I wanted to make sure you got home safe. What's your name?"

The kid looked like he was thinking a moment. Like he was going to give one answer and then thought better of it.

"John. John Deeds." he said.

It sounded like a lie to Alex. Like the kid didn't want to give his real name. Even now this _'John Deeds_ ' was avoiding eye contact.

"Well, hop in, John." Alex said.

~ Norma's heart almost leapt out of her chest when at police SUV pulled up to the cabins. They were alone here. The place so run down that even a sleazy motel by the highway seemed a better option. Norma only chose it because of the privacy. Because of its isolation.

Now, had someone recognized her? Impossible. She was Vicki Deeds now. She had ID to prove it. She found she couldn't move when the SUV pulled up to a stop in front of her and she saw the uniformed cop get out. He looked at her appraisingly, their eyes feeling each other out like in a dual.

Then, he moved to the back and opened the door. Her son, cast and all, popped out.

"Dylan?" she cried without thinking.

"Told me his name was John." the cop said slamming the door shut as Dylan raced to her.

"Oh!" Norma said quickly. "Well, John Deeds is his legal name. We call him… um we call him Dylan. We have a lot of Johns in our family."

She felt Dylan's arm encircle her was it protectively. It was the same way they used to stand together whenever Sam was in one of his moods. Dylan trying to protect her in a way that only a child could.

"I see." the cop said.

"What did he do?" Norma asked.

"Nothing." the cop said. "Playing by the woods."

"So why did you arrest him?" Norma barked angrily. She could feel that anger come out and didn't like it. Why did the cop scare her like this if Dylan hadn't done anything wrong?

"He wasn't arrested." the cop said. His voice was calm and irritatingly professional. "We have a lot of vacationers this time of year. A lot of strangers in the area. I want to make sure he's were he's supposed to be. It's not safe to trek around the woods alone. He could have slipped and had a bad fall. It's happened to more experienced hikers. Not to mention stranger danger, ma'am."

Norma let out a breath.

"Oh, yeah. You're right." she said filing foolish for her rush to anger. "He'll stay around here from now on."

"I'm Deputy Romero." the cop said.

"I'm…" she almost said Norma Bates but stopped herself. "I'm Vicki Deeds. This is my son John."

"Who you sometimes call Dylan." Romero reminded her.

"Not anymore." she told him quickly and unlaced Dylan's arms from around her waist.

"You and your son are visiting here alone?" Romero asked.

Norma nodded. Dylan looked uncomfortable. He didn't like the presence of the cop. Of the man in their world telling them what to do.

"Yes, just for a little while." Norma said and Dylan hid behind her.

"There are nicer places to stay." Romero said looking around at the peaceful but run down cabins. "If you don't mind my saying so."

"We're fine." she snapped. She wanted him to leave. Leave now.

 _'_ _Go away you meddling fool!'_ the dragon inside her breathed fire.

This Romero person looked her in the eye as if seeing the dragon and wasn't afraid. It was as if he saw the dragon and wanted to know why it was there.  
"Well, you two are all alone out here, so, I hope you don't mind if I come out this way and check in on you." he said.

"You don't have to-" she started to say.  
"I kinda do." he said interrupted as if just to torment her. "A woman a her child all alone out here?"

He shook his head as if he didn't like the idea.  
"We'll be fine." she told him.  
"Because I'll be driving by." he reminded her childishly.

He looked at Dylan.  
"I'll see you, John." he said. "Nice meeting you, Ma'am. Don't hesitate to call the Sheriff's office if you need anything."

Then, he was in his SUV and the menace was gone. Norma get the fear go away.

"I'm sorry, Mom." Dylan said. "He surprised me."

"It's not your fault." she said. "We did good. You remembered to say your name was John Deeds. That was good. I was the one who forgot."

She turned around and they walked back to the cabin.

"Did he ask how you broke your arm or where your dad was?" she asked him.

"No, I just said I was on a road trip with my mom and he asked if I was having fun. I said yes." he said.

"Well, he's not going to bother us again." Norma told him.


	3. Chapter 3

3.

~ Alex had found the woman at the cabins interesting. He'd expected the boy's mother to be an older, more haggard woman. Perhaps in her mid thirties with a pack of dirty, out of control kids around her; all yelling to go home. Most likely with a husband who was ten beers into the afternoon and watching the game inside instead of spending time with the family.

But what he found was a young woman who was barely knocking on the door of her twenties. Who couldn't possibly be anyones mother with a body that looked so striking in a sky blue summer dress with spaghetti straps. Her short blond hair was perfect for summer and made her look fresh with life. As if she belonged on a beach somewhere and had taken a wrong turn, landing here and with a kid in tow. She seemed all wrong here. A mismatched game piece who'd been placed in the wrong box.

"That's your mom?" Romero had asked in disbelief and John, sometimes Dylan, had nodded as if it was normal to have someone so attractive in his life.

She's been skipping down a path and smiling to herself before she saw them. As if she was thinking of something funny. Perhaps an inside joke, a cruel one she'd played on someone. The kind of thing all pretty and popular girls were known to do when Alex had been in school.

It was delightful to see her this way. To see her before she'd seen him. Before she'd even known he'd existed. Like he was spying on her and seeing things she hadn't intended for him to see. A forbidden glance at something, that made it all the more beautiful. Like watching a doe in a springtime meadow when it thinks it's alone.

A long time ago, when Alex was in Boy Scouts, he'd taken up star gazing and fallen for the brightest star he'd ever seen. She'd winked and smiled at him in the night sky on the big camping trip that summer. She's seemed to illuminate brighter than any other star there. Making the other stars envious and ugly things by comparison. She was the first star he'd spotted and she was the bell of the ball.

Only it was all a lie. She wasn't a star at all. It was Venus the planet disguising herself as a star and tricking him. Her brightness was only an illusion and she'd played him for a fool.

All the same, she knew he would forever see her first and love her best because of the trickery. She still shone brightest. She was still the most beautiful. Whenever he thought of how this rueful planet had so cleverly tricked him, he thought of her smirking, in just that way. Just the same way this woman smiled now. A mischievous smirk of hidden meaning that took nothing away from her beauty.

 _'_ _Ha, ha silly boy. You've gone and fallen for me and it wasn't the real me you fell for after all. But you'll always love me and you'll always look for me in the night sky first. You'll always chase me and you'll never catch me. Just like thousands of men before you.'_

Somehow that was okay and Alex would forgive her, because seeing the kids mother reminded him of that moment for some reason. Of falling in love with a star that wasn't what she pretended to be and loving her anyway.

She shone a little brighter than the other women he'd known and her face looked oddly guilty when she saw him which made him happy. Not because he liked to abuse power, but because it kept him from thinking she was too perfect.

Once she'd come down from the heavens she'd acted just like a normal mother. Nervous and scared to be around a cop and afraid of men in general. She was running from an abusive husband or boyfriend. Alex could see that; it was clearly written on her's and the boy's faces. He also knew he'd have to be back tonight and in the morning. Last year there was a rape at these cabins. Local 'good old boys' taking advantage of the isolation and he didn't want that to happen to this woman.

He wold try and convince her to leave and if she didn't want to, he would be honest and tell her about the bad history of the place. How it wasn't safe and he could take her to a better motel if she wanted. Hell, even the Sea Fairer was better than these run down cabins. He didn't want to scare her, but he also didn't want word to get out she was all alone here.

So, Alex drove by the cabins on his way back home that evening, and saw the boy was playing by the condemned pool and his mother was sitting on the porch.

The boy waved at him and the mother scowled. Her form was illuminated by the front porch light and she sat in a rocking chair as he drove slowly by. Her pretty face distrusting and angry; but still bewitching.

~ _We may have to leave sooner than I expected. It would be one thing if Barney Fife was driving by here but this cop looks halfway component. He looks like he knows things about us to. I can't explain it and I've asked Dylan to tell me everything he told him but he looks at us like he suspects us._

 _Why can't he be like every other cop in every other town? Not caring. Just minding their own business. He's already driving past here tonight and waved at us. What if he recognizes us?_

~ Norma put her pen down. She shook her head, picked her pen back up and started writing again.

 _~ No. I can't think like that. We're a long way from home and we've barely made the papers back there. I've got no family and no one to start a national campaign to search for me. I won't make the national news. Dylan and I can start over and Norman will be with us soon. That cop was just trying to be helpful._

~ She put her pen down again and felt better. It was better to sooth her own fears. To go to bed feeling like she'd solved her own problems. She'd stayed up late that night simply because she could. She had nowhere to go now. Nothing to plan or plot. Nothing to do except wait until the time was right to snatch Norman from daycare.

She'd decided on her walk back from the front lobby that was how she would do it. Rose would put Norman back in his daycare. A place he was comfortable and, most importantly, paid up for the next year. His schedule was routine and Norma knew the routine well. They took little field trips and Norma knew the schedule by heart. She could cherry pick her moment. She'd been delighting over this sudden realization when she spotted the police SUV and that tall dark stranger with his strange, intelligent eyes.

' _Don't think about his strange intelligent eyes!'_ she snapped at herself stashing her diary under the mattress. She wished this cop had been an ugly, older man. It would be easier to dislike him. She distrusted men in general but it was easier to distrust older men. Older police men especially because they were always the type that came to the door when she and Sam were first married and she didn't know how things were. How, when he beat her, she wasn't supposed to call the police for help. Because these older men would look at her as if she were crazy and hysterical. Something to be ignored and the man listened to instead.

They would talk to Sam and joke with him awhile until the bleeding stopped and Norma was no longer crying. They didn't look at Norma, not in the eye anyway. They looked at her sideways. Like she was that unfortunate girl in school who no one liked. The one who smelled funny and wore ill fitting clothes and who they didn't want sitting next to them on the bus.

They didn't talk to her either. Didn't ask if she needed a hospital or any kind of help. They just left. It was like she was a disobedient child who'd acted out and the cops sympathized with the parents. Or in this case, Sam.

Sam would ignore her for a few days. Tell her he forgave her for embarrassing him and it would start all over again. Eventually she learned not to call for help. No one helped her. No one felt sorry for a woman who was well provided for in a rich man's house with a luxury car.

Norma closed her eyes at the memory. No. She couldn't trust the police. They never helped her. They never would. Why this cop was sticking his nose in her business now was anyone's guess but he would grow bored with them and move on.

~ Except he didn't seem to grow bored with them. Norma checked the news reports once a day and was disappointed to see the snail crawl pace her own story seemed to progress at. Sam still hadn't been arrested and he wasn't even under suspicion. It had been almost a week since she left Arizona and he didn't report her missing for two days. Didn't tell deceives Dylan's arm was broken. The living room was a mess and there was blood in her bathroom that hadn't been cleaned up well. She'd seen enough CSI reruns to know they could look for that. Surely they would look for that!

Norma was feeling frustrated and maybe the summer heat was getting to her. She was feeling a little too warm. She hadn't eaten anything that day and had woken up feeling a little off to.

' _Probably something I ate._ ' she decided. Although Dylan had been eating the same thing she had and he seemed fine.

~ Their daily routine was boring and predictable. Mother and son got up, had breakfast. Watched Tv together, went for a hike in the woods, talked a lot about their plans for the future and then Norma checked the news for anything about the case in Arizona.

Then, they would venture into town to rent a movie at a dying little video store and watch it that evening over dinner. It was simple and easy and comfortable. A life without fear and Norma loved every second of it.

One thing she didn't love was that Deputy Alex Romero had learned their routine to and knew exactly when to catch them before they left for town.

She saw the deputy with the sleeves of his uniform rolled up and talking to her son on the porch of her cabin, as though the two of them were old friends.

"Deputy Romero." she said in a sour voice. She hoped it would sound hateful. Hoped it would sound like he wasn't wanted here. That he would take the hint and go away.

Romero looked intrigued and cast his gaze onto her. She didn't like that and looked away quickly. Eyes seemed to have power. Just like the other cops who didn't look at her had left her powerless, Romero looked at her now and it seemed he wanted to steal her power away. She could actually feel her body growing weaker when he tried to look her in the eye.

She moved away from him. Breaking the connection.

"Well, I'm glad you showed up Miss. Deeds." he said. Her new named sounded odd in his mouth. Like he was lying. "Some friends of mine are having a birthday party. It's a pool party and they have boy about your son's age. He's not very popular in school, and I know this sounds weird but I was hoping the two of you would come along. It would mean a lot to his parents, he has a hard time making friends."

Dylan looked at Norma excitedly. He loved swimming.  
"He can't." Norma said automatically. "He… he's got a cast on his arm." she said thankful for the ready made and believable excuse. She waved her arms like a 'Price is Right' girl at the cast as if to prove to Romero she wasn't lying about this.

Romero looked over the cast.

"When's that thing coming off, John?" he asked.

Dylan looked deflated and glared angrily at his mother.  
"Not sure." he said.

"How'd you break it?" Romero asked.

"I'm supposed to say I fell." Dylan said spitefully.

Norma opened her mouth in shock. Dylan had always played his part better than she ever did. Why was he betraying her now? Because she wouldn't let him go to a party?

"Hey!" she scolded, but her son turned tail and ran back into the cabin, leaving Norma and Romero alone.

"It's okay." the cop said. "I figured as much. Single mother out here. It's pretty obvious you're running from a bad relationship."

"I'm not running from anything." Norma snapped and this time she did look him in the eye. A fire seizing in her belly at the apt accusation.

Romero took a step back; perhaps sensing the dragon inside her.

"Look, I didn't want to say anything before, I didn't want to overstep my bounds." Romero said throwing up his hands. "But I think you and your son might be better off in a nice motel closer to town. These cabins have… a bad history. There was an incident last year. A woman was alone and some men found her. It's why I've been here so much."

Norma didn't break the eye contact. Didn't look away and Romero didn't flinch. A strange current was running through them and she was afraid to break it. Afraid words would disrupt it and ruin the effect. She knew that he was telling the truth then. That he wasn't here because he was suspicious of them or because he was trying to hit on her. He was sincerely worried about her. Worried about the two of them alone in this cabin with no way to get help if they needed it.

He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. A white business card with his information snapping through his fingers.  
"Look, my cell phone is on here. Call me if you change your mind and want to leave. I'm the only one who knows you're up here. I didn't want the whole town knowing. You can guess why."

Norma snapped his card away. The fire breathing dragon inside her ready to spit. She didn't want to like him. She didn't want him to be nice to her. It would be easier if he was indifferent or mean to her. Why did he have to be nice to her? Why did it feel like it would be a comforting thing to trust him?

' _You can't trust him.'_ the dragon inside her hissed. ' _You can't trust anyone. Remember Norman. Norman and Dylan are your top priority. When they are safe, you can find some brainless, pretty boy to wrap your legs around and scratch this itch. Not this one though, never this one. He's too smart and he's a cop. He could hurt you. He could take the boys away. You can't trust him. You can't sleep with him. Not this one, never this one.'_

 _"_ _Fine." she said looking at the numbers and prete_ nding not to care.

Alex backed away as if he'd been trying to tame a lion in the circus and Norma went back into her cabin feeling slightly victorious. She spitefully put his business card on the fridge and held it in place with a long forgotten frog magnet. He was a fat, lazy looking frog sitting in a lawn chair, with a speech bubble saying ' _I'm so happy I could just shit._ '

She could feel a headache coming on and decided to go to bed early. She didn't even make an entry in her diary because she knew that she would want to write about Romero. She would want to write about Romero and how she'd made eye contact with him and how that had meant something and it would sound like a teenage girl writing about a boy she liked.

But still, it **had** meant something. It had meant something and it had felt oddly intimate and frighting to have him look into her eyes and convince her that he was telling the truth.

She neglected her diary and let Dylan sulk in his little room. She collapsed in her bed and feel asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

4.

~ Norma woke up with a pounding headache and feeling thirsty. She finished the rest of the lemonade from the fridge. Her thirst seeming so unquenchable that she drained the entire plastic jug in one long gulp.

The cabin was quite and still and Norma felt unusually hot. She took a shower, changed her clothes and fell right back to sleep again. Her body becoming weak and worn out from too much work.

~ Dylan wasn't at all used to seeing his mother sick. She was sweating and gasping in her bed. Her breathing coming quick and labored in a way that frightened him.

"Mom?" he questioned tentatively stepping inside her room. She was wrapped in covers but her face was red and covered in sweat. Should he uncover her so she could be cool? Should he call an ambulance? He wasn't even sure of the address and there was a sign at the lobby saying they were closed for the day. The phone here in the cabin worked but he wasn't sure if he should call 911.

He was taught in school only call 911 in an emergency and he wasn't sure if his mom was dying or just sleeping.

She'd been asleep for hours now. During the day and she never slept during the day. Her body was very hot and she didn't want to wake up easily.

She'd been asleep all through his television shows and hadn't said a word about dinner which was strange for her. She was good about making sure he ate. Good about getting up and getting dressed to. What was happening?

Dylan paced around the cabin nervously. He spied the business card on the fridge and recognized Deputy Romero's name and saw there was a cell phone number scribbled on it in short efficient script.

 _'_ _I can ask him. He can tell me if I should call 911.'_ Dylan thought rationally. _'It's probably nothing.'_

Deputy Romero picked up on the third ring. He sounded like he had a head cold or something when he said:

"Romero."

"Hello." Dylan said in a small voice not sure of what to say next.

"This is Romero." the cop said. "Who is this?"

"Umm… this is… you know that kid who's staying at the cabins with his mom?" Dylan said thinking the very busy man with an important job might not remember him. Even though he was by the cabins only yesterday.

"John?" Romero questioned and Dylan heard some background voices and the sounds of Romero moving away. "John, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

"I'm okay." Dylan said easily and almost asked how Romero was in his nervousness. "My um, my mom is… I'm worried. I'm not sure what to do."

"What's happened?" Romero asked darkly. "Where is she?"

"She's here in her bed, but I think she's sick. She's really hot and I'm not sure if this is something you call 911 about." Dylan confessed helplessly. He felt stupid and useless. The kind of person Sam would say he would be when he grew up.

"Okay, I'm coming over now. You did the right thing by calling me." Romero told him. "Just sit tight."

Dylan was about to ask how long it would be when he heard Romero click off. He was scared to have his mother breathing so hard in the back bedroom. Night was coming in and she sounded like a zombie in all those horror movies Dylan had watched when he wasn't supposed to.

"It's okay, mom." Dylan whimpered.

~ Romero saw John and Vicki's cabin was the only one with lights on and the child was waiting for him outside on the porch. He looked scared, but glad to see him.

"Hi." John said wen Alex charged up steps and into the cabin without being invited in. Let Vicki get upset with him if it wasn't an emergency.

Right away, there was something in the air that told him things weren't right. The woman in the bed, her breathing was strained and her face was red with splotches. Her skin was warm and her clothes and sheets were wet from sweating.

"Vicki?" Alex whispered to her, touching her forehead and feeling how hot she was. Her skin was soaked with sweat and she whimpered that she was thirsty and needed to lie down.

"I just… just have to lie down, Sam." she said before her eyes rolled back in her head and she seemed to fall asleep again.

Alex pulled the keys to his SUV out and handed them to John.

"I need you to unlock the back door and hold it open for me." he instructed the young man carefully.

"Are we going to the hospital?" John asked with big frightened eyes.

"We sure are; and your mom's coming with us." Alex said pulling off the blankets with a snap. Sweat had matted Vicki's thin night gown to her body and Alex wrapped her in a clean, dry sheet to prevent her from being too exposed.

She was small in stature and it was nothing at all to lift her up in his arms. He'd pulled heavy, drunken Marines up to their feet before as an MP; compared to that, this was nothing.

Vicki's head bobbed up at the sudden altitude change when he started to carry her in his arms.  
"Norman?" she questioned with a raspy voice. "Norman's at daycare."

"It's alright." Alex said gently walking her out of the cabin where everything had felt stifling hot and smelled of sickly, sweating things.

John had done as he was told and was waiting for them in the cool night air by the SUV. The open door ready for his mother to go into.

"Stop hitting my son." she moaned sadly and Alex could feel how hot her body was even through the sheet. How easily people could die of a fever when their bodies burned so hot. A fever could burn you alive.

"You ride in the front seat." Alex ordered John and the child ran to the other side eagerly. Glad to have someone in charge.

Romero gently placed Vicki in the back seat where she slumped over at once. It would do no good to call an ambulance. It would take a long time to get here and find the right cabin. Alex was here now and he could flash his lights and get to the hospital just as quick.

He pulled and clicked a seatbelt over her hip to keep her from falling off the seat and quickly jumped in beside John.

"Hurry." the child said close to tears.

Alex didn't need to be told twice. Partly to impress the kid and to reassure him that he was doing all he could, the overhead lights went on and the sirens blared up rich and violent in the still night air.

"This is Romero." Alex called out over the radio while he backed out of the parking lot. "I'm bringing a woman into the ER with an extremely high fever. She's not responsive. There was no time to wait for an ambulance. I'm bringing her in myself."

He didn't wait for the call back before the siren blared again and they were off. The SUV moving at a frantic pace down the road. Lesser cars and trucks scurrying out of their way in fear of the law.

~ They made it to the ER in less than five minutes. A new personal best. The crew was waiting for them and had a stretcher for her.

"Did she take anything? Any drugs?" the ER doctor asked waving a pen light into Vick's eye which were brown but Alex was sure at one time they were blue.

"I don't think so." he said. "I didn't see any-" he looked at John who was listening to every word they were saying about his mother.

"She didn't strike me as a user." Alex said coolly.

"Ma'am? What did you take?" the doctor demanded and she groaned in pain.  
"My mom doesn't use drugs." John said.  
"What's her name?" the nurse asked Dylan while she started a line of fluid.

John looked worried.

"Her name?" the nurse asked again.

"Vicki." Alex answered. "Vicki Deeds or something like that." For the life of him he couldn't remember her last name.

"We need you to fill out some paperwork, Deputy." the nurse said.

"I-" Alex started to argue. He wasn't next of kin and a ten year old boy was the only family member that was here. Why was he being thrown into this?

"Will my mom be okay?" John demanded.

"We're doing all we can." the nurse said calmly and pushed them both out into the lobby.

~ "I don't know my mom's blood type." Dylan said while the Deputy tried his best to help him fill out the papers the nurse gave him. He wasn't sure how to spell his new last name either. Was it with two 'Es' or one? Was it Deeds or Deets? He wasn't sure.

"What's your mom's middle name?" Romero asked and looked at Dylan expectantly.

Dylan wasn't sure how to answer.

"It's okay, I didn't know my mom's middle name when I was your age either." he sighed. "You know her maiden name?"

Dylan shook his head.

"We need to call your dad. Do you have his number?" Romero asked. The cop uniform had become frighting all of the sudden. Maybe he should runaway. Maybe it had been a mistake to call for help.

"I… I don't." Dylan said and looked away.

"What's your dad's name?" Romero asked.  
Dylan didn't answer.

"Your mom said there were a lot of John's in the family. Is your dad's name John?"

Dylan didn't answer.

"What's your dad's name? I can call him. Tell him what happened. He can come and pick you up. Take you back home." Romero said gently.

"No!" Dylan shouted and Romero leaned away. Mom had promised Sam was gone. That they would never see him again. He never wanted to see Sam again. Never wanted to be back to Arizona.

Romero moved away from him as if Dylan might bust into flames.

"Okay." he said. "Who else can we call? We have to have someone look after you."

~ Norma woke up feeling entirely spent and used up. Like her body had no more energy to spare and she could barely move.

But she had to move. The TV was on and it was an annoying game show that disturbed the peacefulness of her room.

Nor realizing right away that it was in a hospital room or that the TV was bolted to the wall with the remote fashioned to the bed, Norma angrily snapped off the horrible game show.

Feeling like she slayed a dragon, she fell back into bed and saw a garish pink teddy bear sitting on the tray table next to her bed.

 _'Norman must have forgotten his bear.'_ she thought feeling too exhausted to really care. She looked at the bear and realized it couldn't have been Norman's. This bear was most defiantly for a girl with its' candy pink fur and, and cute outfit. It had a blue poodle skirt and saddle shoes. It was girl bear with a black hair bow.

Norma moved up in her bed and looked around the alien world. She was in a hospital. When had she arrived in a hospital? What had happened? She was alone in the room which meant the bear, the bed and the horrible TV with the game show, was hers.

Her body ached as if she'd been beaten up. Was that what had happened? Had she been attacked? She didn't see any bruises on her body but she felt sore all over.

"Oh, you're awake again." came a bossy, fussy voice. "Oh and your TV is off."

Norma watched as a nurse with a long ponytail came in and reached up to snap on the TV again. The loud game show was gone and replaced by commercials.

Norma punched the remote to turn the TV off. She didn't want to be pacified by the TV like some infant. She wanted to know what had happened. Had she been in an accident?

"What happened? What's going on?"

"You know I can't tell you that, Miss Deeds." the nurse smiled brightly. "You don't want your TV on?" she looked at Norma as if she was crazy.

"Miss Deeds? No, I don't want my TV on. Where am I? What do you mean you can't tell me what's going on?" Norma demanded.

The nurse nodded.

"Your doctor will be in shortly to do rounds and will explain everything." she said.

Norma shook her head.

"Where's my son?" she demanded.

The nurse shook her head.  
"You know I can't answer that, Miss Deeds." she said.

~ Alex Romero arrived just in time to see a nurse with a long ponytail come crying out of Vicki's room saying that the crazy woman was awake now and Doctor Roberts better get here soon to release her.

He politely knocked on the door to see Vicki looking annoyed, but much better than the last time he'd seen her. She was in her hospital gown and peering through her closet.

"If you're looking for your clothes, I think they are in laundry. You only had a nightgown on when they brought you in." Alex said carefully setting down the 'Get Well' card her son had made her. He had that feeling again of being in the presence of a dangerous animal. A beautiful, but deadly creature he needed to be cautious with.

Vicki looked up and her face was different from the last time he'd seen it. The color was off. Probably from the fever she'd suffered.

"I… remember you." she said calmly pulling her IV stand with her. She was still receiving fluids to keep her hydrated.

"Romero." he said calmly.  
"My son…" she said.

"John is fine he's staying with some friends of mine. They have a son name Oscar who's his age. They've been having a nice time. I didn't want to alert child services. John gave me the impression there was… violence in the home." Alex said gently.

Vicki looked distrustful.

"My ex broke his arm." she snapped at him.

"I figured as much."

"What happened? Why… why am I here?"

"John called me two days ago. You were burning up with fever. Staff infection from drinking the water at the cabins we think. John is fine they gave him a round of antibiotics to be safe. You could have died, Vicki." Romero said.

"Vicki."

"Sorry, Miss Deeds."

He watched her collapse back in bed. A weakness seeming to shake her body.

"You shouldn't be up and about. You've been feverish for the past day or so. Saying all kinds of crazy things." Romero said guiding her to lay back into bed.

She seemed unusually compliant and willing to lay back down again. Exhaustion winning the day.

"What kind of things?" she whispered. "What was I saying?"

"Oh that Darth Vader was Luke Skywalker's father. Crazy stuff." Alex teased and tried to smile.

"No." she shook her head. "No, really. What was I saying?"

Alex didn't want to say. He didn't like to think about her crying in her fevered state about someone named Sam and to stop hitting her and to stop hitting the boys.

"You kept telling someone named Sam to stop hurting you and your son." he said honestly.

Vicki nodded.

"Sam… Sam Deeds was my… ummm my ex." she explained.

"Well, you need to get better because John is waiting for you." Alex said pulling the covers over her. The hospital gown had a very low thread count and even though she was still recovering, she was beautiful.

"John." she said without feeling.

"Yeah, he's staying with my friends like I said. They have a big house. The doctor has scheduled to have his cast taken off tomorrow and I'll bring him by to see you." he promised.

Vicki's eyes lit up.

"Oh. Yes. Yes." she smiled and her face changed. She was like a young girl again. "Thank you."

"You'll have to thank him for the bear. He picked it out. He said you like old fashioned things."

She picked up the pink teddy bear in the sock hop outfit and smiled warmly at it. Alex had been beyond embarrassed to buy it at the local gift shop. The girl at the counter thinking he had a girlfriend and the rumor mill in town was in full swing about it now.

"Thank you, Alex." she sighed and looked at her bear closely. She spied the Get Well card her son had made her last night and looked sad.

"You know when I got sick I didn't get all these presents." Romero said breaking the ice.

Vicki smiled but it was a faint thing. It was gone as soon as it started.

"Can I bring you anything? Food? Hospital food is awful." he said.

"I am hungry." she said.

"Great. I don't think you've eaten in a while. There's a nice little sandwich shop nearby." he said.

"Alex?" she asked when he stood up. She was still holding her pink bear. "I have to get my things from the cabin.

"No need. John and I go them yesterday." he assured her. She looked upset.  
"No, I have, my things I need to get them." she said.

"Vicki, the cabins have all been condemned by the city. No one is allowed inside. The city is using what happened to you to close them up for good. They think it was the drinking water that made you so sick." he tried to explain.

"I have to go back there and get my things!" she said in a near panic.


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm loving all the feedback I'm getting for my writing. Thanks a lot. It means a lot to me that you enjoy my writing. if I had more free time, i honestly would update more, but I'm a busy girl.**

 **I know and understand you don't like the 'Vicki' and 'John' thing right now. I get it. It has to be this way because Alex doesn't know their real names. But he will. Trust me.**

5.

~ Alex left with the promise that he would return with something for them to eat. He'd tried to reassure her that they had collected all of her things from the cabin, but Norma couldn't help but think of the duffel bag of cash and diary she'd left behind under the mattress. Dylan didn't know where she hid it and wouldn't have known to grab it. It was all they had in the world.

What if they started demolition on the cabins before she was able to go back and get it? What if this Alex Romero, well meaning cop, prevented her from going back and she and Dylan were penniless? Alone and without a cent to their names? Names that weren't even their own?

Despite all her worries, she could feel sleep pulling her in. Dragging her body down like she was swimming again a rip tide. A force she was suddenly powerless to fight against. All her fears had drained her to near exhaustion and she let herself succumb like a drowning victim who'd given up hope of rescue.

When she woke up, it was to a feather touch across her forehead.

"Hey." a voice was whispering and she opened her eyes to find her world out of focus. She reached for her glasses but found her nightstand empty.

 _'My contacts, my glasses are… are in the cabin._ ' she thought stupidly when she focused her attention on the figure in front of her.

Her vision wasn't that bad and she could easily make out Alex Romero if he stood close enough. She really only needed her glasses or contacts when she was driving or reading.

"You fell back asleep." he accused gently and moved away when she sat up in bed, wincing at the feel of the IV still in her arm.

Somehow, she'd forgotten everything he'd told her and it had all come rushing back like a floodgate. The sudden illness, Dylan staying with friends and not foster care, her diary and cash still at the cabins.

"Oh." was all she said and could smell something wonderful in a white bag he sat on the tray table. Alex wasted no time in unwrapping their meal.

"I wasn't sure if you were a vegetarian or not." he said pulling out a few neatly wrapped sandwiches and styrofoam cups of soup. "This place makes a vegan soup and a friend once had me try it. Still haven't forgiven him."

He'd meant to be funny and charming, but Norma hadn't notice. She was starving and wanted to eat. Her head hurt and she knew food would make it better. She made a non committal noise as he unwrapped the rest of their lunch and told her which was turkey and they were all hot and good.

Norma wasted no time at all eating. She'd been carful about what she ate with the weight loss, but knew her stomach was empty after her illness. Knew that eating would make her feel better. She ate two turkey sandwiches, a cup of bacon and bean soup a pickle and a brownie in silence with Alex.

Endorphins that seemed to her better than sex, flooded through her body. She hadn't eaten properly in so long, she could feel herself recovering quickly.

"Thank you." she managed at last when they were done and their meal was wiped out.

Alex looked amused by her sudden appetite.

"You're welcome. I thought only firefighters ate like that." he said with a grin.

Norma nodded.

"I guess I was hungry." she admitted. "It was really good. When we go back to the cabins, I'll pay you back."

"Don't worry about it." Alex said. "We can't go back to the cabins, Vicki. The city had condemned the property. It's against the law."

Norma looked at him strangely at him calling her by her new name. She'd never get used to it. She didn't feel like a 'Vicki' at all.

"I have my… umm… cash and my diary hidden in our cabin." she admitted.

Alex's face rose with interest.

"Oh." he said. "A lot of cash?"

"Our run money." she confessed. "It's all we have. I need it. My diary, It's personal."

Something about sharing a meal with him, the fact that he'd fed her and nourished her, taken care of and protected her son when he didn't have to, made her trust him. The dragon seething inside her wasn't happy. Its' fires were like embers around this man, but not white hot fury like it had been with Sam.

"I'm sure we got it. John packed everything." Alex told her.

"I hid it." she told him. "I have to go back. Please."

Alex looked annoyed but understood.

"Alright. As soon as you're discharged. I'll take you back myself. "Unless you trust me to go and get it."

Norma didn't trust him. She would have loved to tell him _'Yes, darling, go look under the mattress and I trust you not to take the cash or look in my diary for the past two years.'_ But she didn't trust him. Not that much. She didn't trust Dylan that much and she couldn't trust anyone.

Alex seemed to read her mind.

"Okay." he said. "The cabins are all locked up anyway and patrol is out there to prevent kids from ransacking the place. They started demo a few days ago."

"What?" Norma exclaimed.

Alex nodded.

"Health hazard. They don't want vagrants or people hanging out there. The city want's to sell the land to a one of those companies who builds McMansions. Soon they'll be a row of horrific, gaudy, mega homes there." he explained.

"When will I be discharged?" Norma asked feeling panicked.

"I'll find your doctor. I don't know." Alex said. "But if demo gets that far, I'll get your stuff out myself, don't worry."

Norma shook her head. No, she didn't want anyone to touch her bag or her diary but her. No one touched the leather skin of her diary but her and that made is special. Made the thing sacred.

"We'll figure it out." Alex told her. "It'll be alright."

He gathered up the trash from their meal and threw it away. Norma was worried but could feel sleep coming for her again. That sinister rip tide coming to drown her again. She wanted to dream. Wanted her brain to tell her nice things. Nice stories to comfort her.

"I have another son." she told him without thinking.

Alex turned around but didn't look surprised. She felt a shame burning deep inside her. Not because she admitted the fact of Norman's existence, but because she'd left him behind.

"He's 6." she told him and felt her voice quiver slightly.

Alex said nothing. He let her speak.

"I… umm… I wasn't able to take him with me. His grandmother…" Norma shook her head at the intrusive thought of Rose Bates and how evil she could be. "We were getting ready to run and she came to the house and took him. She took him for a haircut and I… I had to leave. I had to leave him."

Alex was sitting in his chair again. Listening to her explain why she abandoned her other son.

"If I had stayed, If I had stayed even another hour or two, I wouldn't have been able to leave." she said with difficulty. "I had come up with a plan. I had stashed run money, picked the boys up from school. Sam wasn't supposed to be home for a while and then she just came to the house…"

Norma laughed at the cruelty of it.

"I had to leave, I had to leave him. She'd never hurt him. I now that. Sam would hurt me and… and John." she struggled slightly to remember Dylan's new name. "She would never hurt her 'Little Sammy' and Sam just ignored him anyway."

Alex waited until she was finished. Until she was done shamefully admitting her failures as a mother. How she'd just left Norman behind and thought about her own escape rather than his.  
"You're not the only one this has happened to." He said at last. His words comforting and strong. "We see this all the time. I was an MP in the Marines and…" he sighed "It happened a lot. Wives leaving their husbands because of abuse. Kids being hit because they cried too much. Mothers having to leave with nothing but the clothes on their backs and having to pull their children away from their abuser."

Norma thought he looked sad. As if he was remembering things he didn't want to remember.

"We can gat your son back." he assured her. "Courts favor the mother."

"Not in Arizona." she said sourly.

"That's where you're from?" he asked. "Arizona?"

Norma closed her mouth. Her teeth making a clicking sound when she snapped her jaw shut. The dragon inside her snorting fire and glaring harshly with green, gleaming eyes.

"I'm really tired." she said at last.

Alex looked at her knowing this was a cop out. Knowing she'd said too much and was looking for a way out.

"Okay." he said.

To her slight amazement, although it felt natural for him to do it, Alex pulled the bed's covers over her. Her hospital gown feeling usually thin and see through. Norma moved down to where she knew she could fall asleep easily and and Alex turned off the overhead light of her hospital bed. She half expected him to kiss her on the forehead and was a little disappointed when he didn't. As though she was cheated out of something and he'd been negligent in his duties to her.

But then she remembered they hardly knew one another and she was being silly. She remembered what the dragon had hissed at her before. That she couldn't care about this man. That this was the wrong man to have feelings for. That she could have any man she wanted, but she couldn't have this man. He was too dangerous.

"I'll see you in the morning. I'll being John by." he said softly in the darkness of her hospital room. For a moment, just a moment, she wanted it to be their room. Their bedroom and for him to be with her always. To be with her in the darkness of their bedroom always telling her reassuring and comforting things. Making her feel safe and protected. She wasn't used to feeling it and her body responded to the sensation the same way it had to the comfort of good food after a long period of starvation.

"Thank you." she said meekly. Her gratitude seeming to swell so that her chest hurt. "Thank you, Alex."

When he felt she felt an emptiness take over. A fear of being alone. She fell asleep and dreamed. Dreams of Rose berating her for the way she cooked or the way she took care of Norman. They were dreams she'd had before but suddenly, they changed. She snapped at Rose and pulled Norman away from her. Leaving the house with him and Dylan in tow. The old woman was shouting at them about crazy things; and Sam was lurking in the shadows.

Norma and the boys fled the house and she felt strong. She felt like the house she once lived in was like a dollhouse and when she looked back, it WAS a dollhouse. A small thing that belonged to a child that held no power over her. It's colors faded and it not at all like she remembered.

Then, in the strange physics of dreams, Alex pulled up in his SUV and smiled his shy smile.

"Well, you didn't need saving after all." he joked, but put an arm around her waist and kissed her cheek all the same. He asked if they wanted to go out for ice cream and he would take them home and everyone was happy.

Norma woke up a few hours later not sure if Alex went home with them, or if she had her own home with the boys and he just visited her a lot. Either way, it was a good dream and she felt powerful again.

~ The cabins on the edge of town were lit up with construction lights. The demolition had already started and the city was wasting no time at all in the sale of the land. The land was what had value and they would make the city a lot of money.

Alex had been a little surprised that crews were working day and night to get them torn down and they would be torn down by morning.

Vicki's cabin had been on the end and would be the last to be demolished. It hadn't been stripped of furniture yet, but the crews were making quick work of it.

Her's would be done next.

Police tape was still on the door and a pad lock was bolted into place. Alex didn't have the key but it handily mattered at this point. It was hours away from being rubble. He told the foreman he'd be inside and to make sure he was out before tearing it down. The foreman helped him break down the front door with a crowbar and left the Sheriff's Deputy to look for whatever he'd come to look for.

Alex had a cop's instinct. He'd always had it. Always been good at finding things people thought they hid well. His mother used to hide things and forget where she'd hid them, and Alex would always find them for her. It was his gift, his secret talent. That and knowing when people were lying. He'd known Vicki was telling the truth in the hospital about the run money and the diary. About the son she'd been forced to leave behind.

He looked around the cabin and saw there weren't many places to hide things, he peered behind the tattered sofa, in the freezer, under John's mattress, and quickly and painlessly hit pay dirt under Vicki's mattress. It was an old thin blue duffle bag with a horde of cash.

 _'Jesus, did she rob a bank?'_ he thought wildly looking over the tightly packed bundles. He'd expected her to have maybe a few thousands in twenties but she had neatly wrapped hundreds fresh from the bank.

 _'Drugs.'_ Alex realized. That was the only explanation. He knew Vicki wasn't a user but maybe her ex was a dealer or involved and that why she ran away. She got too scared of that world and took her son away and was forced to leave one behind.

Alex felt sympathy for the woman grow. It was easy to fall victim to that lifestyle. A husband that provides well for you. For your children and you don't see or want to see how dangerous it is until it's too late.

Alex saw the diary she'd been alluding to and picked it up. It was a heavy thing. Not the middle school girl kind with a little lock on it that he pictured. It was an impressive book and made of thick, expensive leather. Almost like an ancient bible.

Without thinking, not planning on invading her privacy, he opened it. Her script was elegant and neat. Planned and orderly. She wrote in organized paragraphs. Her thoughts coming easily and as well prepared as any college essay.

Her main thesis was stated in the first paragraph.

 ** _'_** ** _I'm leaving Sam, and killing Norma Bates.'_**


	6. Chapter 6

6.

~ Norma still felt exhausted the next morning. She managed to shower and dress in a clean hospital gown without help, but almost collapsed onto her bed as soon as she was back in her room.

She still hadn't seen her doctor and had to wonder exactly what had happened to her. No one seemed willing to answer her questions and the nurses were avoiding her. In fact, none of them had been back to try and turn her TV on again. The female nurses seeming to only peep into her room with curiosity, and not venturing in.

Finally, a male nurse named Brian came in to change her IV bag that morning, checked on her and asked if she wanted breakfast. She asked when her doctor would visit and he said he wasn't sure.

"Doctor Nelson is space case." he told her. Norma didn't like the sound of that. In Arizona they din't have doctors who were 'Space Cases'.

"Can I see another doctor then?" she laughed as if this were all an elaborate joke.

Now it was Brian's turn to look at her as if she were joking.

"I'll get your breakfast, Miss Deeds." he said.

It didn't matter what Norma wanted to eat. What she got was cold cereal. The kind kids got sealed in a plastic bowl with a tiny picture of milk. She was thankful she had an appetite but wanted to leave this place. She felt uneasy here. As if something had changed. Like people here knew things about her she had kept hidden. That uneasy feeling she had from her lonely school days back in Florida.

She remembered those harsh popular girls gossiping behind her back and flitting their hateful eyes at her just so they could put her back in her place. Their eyes cutting her like glass when they slighted her from across the hall. Eyes that seemed made of glass. Weapons that loved to hurt her and make her bleed.

Norma had that feeling now. That sick, panicked feeling that she was being watched and observed for weakness by these nurses. These pretty and popular girls who had nice clothes and good homes and parents with a steady job. The girls who grew up to be women with a good education, who lived on their own and didn't live in fear.

She let her cold cereal go soggy at these old memories and feelings. Her appetite was suddenly gone. She pushed her tray away and pulled her bear closer to her body. She hadn't ever remembered receiving such a thoughtful gift in her life and it made her heart hurt with gratitude. No one had ever eve thought to bring her a get well present before.

Still, even with her bear pressed tightly to her chest, she couldn't stop these bad thoughts invading. This invasion laying siege and now festering in her mind like a cancer. She wished she had her diary. Wished she had her big book to write it all down and make herself feel better. Wished she could banish those thoughts away with words.

Words like 'glass eyes', 'cutting eyes', 'perfect girls', 'perfectly evil', 'wolves', 'packs', 'hunting'. She wanted to transform those girls from her memory into creatures that she could imagine hunting like animals. That they were nothing but predatory animals with a mindless pack mentality of follow their leader.

Somehow, she found it easier to think of them like that. The mean girls as wolves who couldn't operate as a single entity. Who weren't powerful as one person but were only cruel as a group. That made it easier. Still, she wanted to leave. She wanted Dylan, and she wanted to see the last of this place.

"Alex?" came a woman's voice from the hall and Norma looked up from her soggy, mess of cereal. She could see the nurses' station from her bed and see the two young nurses looking up eagerly at something that was out of Norma's line of sight.

She could hear a deeper voice and a higher voice, a flirty voice. The nurse's voice who had said his name.

She rolled her eyes. Alex Romero was here and the cute, well groomed nurses were flirting with him. And why not? He was handsome enough; the tall dark and exotic kind to. Norma had noticed that the first day they had met he was good looking. Too good looking not to have a girlfriend who was a nurse here.

Of course Alex had a girlfriend. She was probably thin and perfect and had a college degree and a good job. She no doubt had a cute little apartment and drove a new car. All to accessorize with her perfect life. All she needed now was a handsome cop boyfriend and wouldn't everything be camera ready then?

She expected him to be delayed by the nurse. To have her distract him with her layers of make up and large breasts. Norma had always had a small frame and she hadn't worn makeup since before Norman was born. Her face always seeming muted of color and washed away.

She knew it would be awhile before Alex was able to pull himself away to come and see her. So, it had surprised her when, just as she was thinking these dark thoughts, Alex appeared in her doorway with Dylan in tow.

Norma felt her sprits soar at seeing her son. He was sunburnt and missing his cast. A wide grin beaming on his face.

"Told you she was better." Alex said to Dylan who looked happy and relived.

"Mom!" Dylan shirked in glee.

If Norma had more strength, she would have jumped out of bed to greet him, but Dylan had jumped into her bed with her.  
"Oh!" she sighed in happiness. It had been out of lack of anything else to say. Her son hadn't hugged her so fiercely in a long time. His body feeling warm perfect against hers again. He was real and reassuring. He was her son and he smelled of summer time and chlorine.

"You've been swimming?" she laughed.

"Oscar has a pool." Dylan nodded and lifted up his arm as soon as they detached. "His mom is a doctor and she wrapped my arm up in a trash bag so it wouldn't get wet. We really just float around on this big raft thing. He's not a good swimmer either. Then we play Xbox and his mom lets us sleep in the upstairs family room and its' like our own club house. No one bothers us there. He's got a TON of movies and we watched them. He's got legos to and he can skateboard pretty good and now that I have my cast off we can go swimming more. Oscar doesn't have a lot of friends because he's pretty overweight, but I told him he's not that fat and I've seen way fatter people in Arizona and that made him really happy."

Norma stared at her son with wide eyes. The flood of information he so eagerly gave her was very vivid and shocking. He'd told strangers they were from Arizona? What else did he tell these people? These people she didn't know.

"Well, that sounds… like you've been having fun." she said realizing she was short of breath.

"How do you feel?" Alex asked looking concerned.  
"I'm… fine." Norma said feeling a little woozy. It was all becoming a little much. All this information coming at her so fast. She felt like she'd been hit by a train.

"Have you seen the doctor yet?" he asked sharply.  
"No." she said. "I'm told he's a space case and I guess I'll see him when I see him."

"Doctor Nelson." Alex nodded. "I'll find out what's happening."

He was gone then, before Norma could look up, leaving her and Dylan alone.

"Hey." she whispered in her son's ear. "You haven't been telling anyone who you are; have you? Who I am?"

"No. I told them my name is John. That you're my mom and we're on vacation. Just like you told me." he whispered back.

"What about your dad?" she hissed worriedly.  
"They didn't ask." he told her.

Norma thought that was strange.

"You know we have to stick to this story." she told him. "We're John and Vicki Deeds now."

"I know." he said. "I was sacred when you were sick, mom. I didn't know what to do."

"I know." she told him hugging him close to her chest. He still smelled of sunshine and pool water. That sweet childhood smell of a well spent summer.

"Deputy Romero came?" she asked nonchalantly. "When you called?"

"Yeah." he said. "He came to the cabin and had me unlock the back door to his SUV. I got to ride up front with him and he had the lights and sirens on and everything."

"He didn't call the ambulance?" she asked. Norma didn't remember anything from that night and had assumed an ambulance and paramedics were involved.

"No, he carried you out. Like they do in the movies." Dylan said.

Norma stiffened but was curious.

"What? What do you mean, like over his shoulder?" she asked. The idea intrigued her. Her weight made such an idea impossible to conceive and she still had a hard time thinking of herself as thin enough for someone to carry.  
"No." Dylan said easily. "He carried you like in those old movies. Like Swamp Thing carried that lady out of the swamp."

Norma appreciated her son's artistic detail and knew exactly what he meant. He couldn't have to described the situation better.

"I see." Norma said feeling a smile twitch her lips and a deep blush heat her face.

"Doctor Nelson won't see you today." a dark voice interrupted them and the pair jumped when Alex entered the room. "Instead Doctor Jonas will see you and most likely discharge you tonight."

"So soon?" Norma asked. "I mean, I could barely take a shower on my own."

"Don't worry, I'm making arrangements." he told her. "The city is working with a liability lawyer named Larry Price to give you a settlement and your hospital bill is paid for. I think it's why they want you out of here as soon as possible."

He seemed disgusted by the whole situation.

"I have a lawyer?" she asked in shock.

"You were appointed one by state law." Alex said. "You were an injured party and he's making sure your interests are protected."

"You can come and stay with me and Oscar!" Dylan said happily.

"We're going to get a motel." Norma said feeling exhausted.

Alex shook his head.

"It's the busy summer season here in White Pine Bay." he told her. "Every motel and hotel in the county is booked up until September."

Norma wanted to argue but was too tired.

"But I know a place you can both stay." he said.

~ That evening, an unpleasant Doctor Jonas discharged her with a bag of medication and a stern warning to stay away from dirty water. As though Norma had intentionally made herself sick or had been unclean someway.

"I hate this place." she hissed to Alex who was pushing her out of the hospital. She was thankfully dressed, wearing her contacts and feeling much more like herself again. Her bear sitting protectively on her lap as if guarding her from attack. Alex had taken Dylan back to Oscar's for the night while they settled the emergency living arrangements.

Norma hadn't been wrong when she suspected the nurses were ogling Alex. They kept peering into her room, trying to catch glimpses of him with her. Trying to see what was so special about her that was pulling a man like him away from their charms.

Even now, Norma could feel their glass eyes cutting, always cutting, on the back of her neck as she left. Alex pushing her wheelchair down the hallway and there was a coldness that seemed to follow them. A crackle in the air that they would be talked about as soon as they left.

Why did women have to be so mean? So competitive? Why was it always a competition? She didn't want Alex. They could have him. They didn't have to be so damn mean about it? They didn't have to cut her like they did.

"Come on." she heard Alex say as soon as they were out the door. It felt safer, freer and better when they were out of the hospital and in the fresh, cool air.  
"Those nurses don't like me." she confessed when Alex wheeled her chair to his SUV.

"It's not you. Those nurses don't like **me**." he told her soberly helping her to her feet. She still had issues with strength, or lack of it.

She didn't have the energy to laugh or argue.

"No, really. I went out on a date with this one nurse named Holly." he admitted looking back at the hospital. "One date and it didn't go that well, but she thought it did. I didn't call her and she's still mad at me."

"Well, I'd be mad to." Norma teased sitting in the passenger seat and liking how comfortable it was. Alex smiled. Accepting that she was just teasing him. He closed her door and walked around, climbing into the driver's side.

"I don't know why she got so mad; I'm not **that** charming." he said.

"You're really not." Norma agreed easily.

A smile flashed on Alex's face with a lot of teeth and Norma felt relived that it was okay to torment him. With Sam, it was never safe to gently wound his pride. Not even a little. But Alex seemed to like it. He seemed to enjoy a playful banter so long as claws didn't come out.

"I thought those nurses didn't like me because they had a crush on you." she admitted.

"Oh no." Alex shook his head and started the engine. "No, No one has a crush on me."

~ They rode in silence past town and Norma was sure they were going to the cabins until Alex pulled into a private drive. It was growing dark and she could barely make out a large iron work gate to an expansive property which opened automatically when Alex pushed a button.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"Home." he said simply. "At least temporarily. Till we can find something better."

"This is your… you live here?" Norma asked when they drove up to a massive brick house with lights highlighting an elegant front lawn and well tended topiary,

"Yeah." Alex said casually. "I hope you don't think less of me because I live in a giant mansion."

Norma's mind rejected the entire idea that Alex lived here. He was cop who wore scuffed boots and layers of flannel and worn T-shirts. He didn't live here.

A smile bloomed on his face.

"I'm the summer caretaker for the real owners." he explained. "They love to have a cop here living in their house. Illusion of protection I think. They want a cop looking after the place, cutting the grass and making sure no one breaks in. It's a good deal. I get to live in a really nice house, rent free, for the summer in exchange for light work and upkeep. Before this I was winter caretaker for another mansion. I guess I'm kinda homeless, but it's expensive to buy or even rent a place here nowadays. Single guy and all."

Norma looked up at the imposing mansion.

"So, you live here?" she laughed still not believing.  
"You do to." he told her. "They have a very nice guest house out back next to the pool. It's small, but it's all you and John need."

Norma breathed a sigh of relief. She'd been worried, her stomach turning in knots about what to expect when Alex said he would take her someplace. It had felt like some horror movie. That part where you yell at the victim not to go down into the basement. She felt stupid for trusting him. That she shouldn't go with him. That he would take her back to his place in her weakened state and she would be trapped there. Nice guy routine over. He would show his true colors, just like Sam.

Sam had been a nice guy at first to.

"By the way," Alex said reaching behind him into the back seat. "Went to the cabin and found what you were looking for."

Norma felt her breathing stop when she saw her blue duffle bag and her large, leather diary appear. Alex's bicep straining under the weight of the cash and leather tomb that he hefted over to her.

"You… you found them." she said numbly. She knew right away that he'd read every word. His eyes raked over every thought she'd written down. Read every detail of her diary and knew everything about her. That he'd seen the money and that she'd be arrested soon.

"I found them." He shrugged. "It was a good thing to. They were about to demolish the place."

Norma didn't want to touch them. They felt contaminated from him.

"Oh." she said. Her diary and bag sitting on her lap as though alien to her.

"Thought you'd be happy." he said.

"I am."

"You don't look happy."

"They… they were private." she whispered.

"You think I went through your things?" he asked.

"Did you?" she asked.  
He was quite.

"I saw that it's a lot of money." he admitted. "I'm guessing your ex is a… pretty bad man. The kind you need to get away from if he has that much cash at hand."

"He is." Norma said.

"As for your diary…" Alex nodded to the book. "No, I didn't read it. I know it's personal."

Norma wasn't sure if she believed him. She wanted to believe him. She wanted desperately to believe him.

She needed to at least give him the benefit of the doubt. After all, she was the one who had been lying to him and he'd been the one who'd protected her. He'd looked after her. Who had literally carried her to safety. Kept her son out of the clutches of the system and was looking after her still.

"Come on, I'll show you to the guest house." he said.


	7. Chapter 7

7.

~ Norma awoke to the sounds of birds singing. The first eager rays of sunlight were breaching through her windows and pulling her unwillingly, out of bed.

She'd fallen asleep last night almost as soon as her head hit the pillow. She'd barely had time to take in the storybook cottage Alex had shown her behind the main house. It was set off from the pool and accessible only by a small footpath. In the cloak of night, it looked like nothing at all.

Alex had handed her a key and kept his distance. He'd seemed to understand it was overstepping some invisible boundary if he intruded into what was to be her home. However temporary.

"I put fresh sheets on the bed." he told her. "Your bags are already inside."

The cottage was aired out and clean smelling. It wasn't the kind of place she'd feared a guest house might be. A garden shed only pretending to be small home. Instead, it was a legitimate downsized house with electricity and plumbing. A small kitchen was fashioned to the back wall and granite countertops gleamed with new, scaled down appliances.

The furniture looked new two, but for the cottages' size, was also smaller. No large, oversized sofa or big screen tv. Just, Norma saw, two small recliners framing a fireplace and a small breakfast table with two chairs off of the kitchen. Her bedroom was likewise just as spartan. A bed and a dresser, the same as the second bedroom and both were of equal size. The bathroom was clean and looked modern.

Norma only cared that she could lock the front door, change into her night clothes and go to sleep.

When morning came too quickly, she had to remind herself where she was. What had happened and that Dylan would be returned to her soon enough. It felt odd to be in a world so peaceful.

Normally, Norman and Dylan needed to be driven to school or some activity. There was always something to do. Even when they were at the cabins, there was always something to do. Plans to be made. Now, Norma had to rethink everything. Her sudden illness throwing off her plan and her schedule.

 _'My diary.'_ she thought gravely. _'How much did Alex read of it?'_

She picked up the heavy book and looked over it; pretending she was an outsider seeing it for the first time.

It didn't look good, but it didn't look bad either. She never said anything about her plan. Not really. It had seemed more like a fiction than a real plan to set into motion. If she needed to, she could rip out these pages and burn them. What if Alex had made copies? So what? Useless without the actual diary and she could always say she was writing a story.

She looked over her neatly written words and carefully divided days. She'd kept the diary for over two years now. Sometimes writing in it twice a day for a few pages. A lot of times she found herself rambling about things that wasn't related to the plan. She only wrote about the plan in detail in small parts. Like an off handed remark. Something like:

 _'I need to get milk from the store, oh and frame Sam for murder.'_

It wasn't like her idea stuck out from the pages. It wasn't a clearly drawn map. Norma wrote small and neat. Alex was a man and men didn't read things like this unless they had to.

Besides, he'd given her back the diary right away. He couldn't have read it in that short amount of time.

' _That's what copy machines are for. He could have made a copy of it and read it when he felt like it.'_ The dragon hissed at her.

Norma felt cold at the idea.

' _No. He wouldn't.'_ she thought.

 _'Of course he would.'_ the dragon hissed.

She shook her head. If Alex made a copy, there was nothing she could do about it now. If she worried about it, became nervous or upset about the idea, Alex would defiantly grow suspicious. But if she acted like she didn't care, if she pretended that she trusted him, then things would go smoother.

She balanced skillfully on the kitchen countertop while she stuffed the diary and bag of cash into the large air vent. No one would find it there.

 _'Alex will.'_ The dragon growled spitefully.

Norma shook off the mean dragon, got dressed and went outside.

~ A part of her wished she could live here forever. The moment she stepped outside, it was like being in another world. Her little guest cottage was painted white and had a front porch with a swing attached. It had a lacy white trim decorating it that was meant to look Victorian, but gave the cottage a gingerbread feel. As if hungry children might come from the woods and devour the place.

A stone foot path was placed in front of the porch and all around it were well tended flowers that attracted honey bees.

 _'I think this place is enchanted.'_ Norma thought carefully stepping off her porch and onto the stone path. The sun had warmed the stones and they felt good on her bare feet. She felt an irrational fear that if she left the cottage, she might never see it again. That it was somehow magical and hidden from the real world.

She looked back as soon as she spotted the blue, Greek style pool and saw her gingerbread house was still there. The trees shading it and she longed to go back.

Norma breathed a sigh of relief and pressed onward. The swimming pool expanding larger than she remembered. It's waters strikingly beautiful because of the blue tile at the bottom. It looked slightly garish with it's grecian style statues all around it. It was a large pool. Not the kind suitable for parties but only meant to impress.

Norma walked around it and saw Alex had taken out a pool cleaning kit and chemicals. He had a hard days work ahead of him to clean this pool, although it looked good to Norma.

The large mansion loomed up ahead and she wondered if Alex was even in there. If the doors were locked and if an alarm might sound if she approached.

She saw an impressive greenhouse to one side. A purely decorative addition from magazines. Something that held no practical purpose. Then a large solarium to the other side of the house. She saw the doors to this place were open and music, loud and obnoxious was coming out.

Norma followed it and realized it was ' _The Rolling Stones_ '. Jagger was moaning over and over again:

 _'You can't always get what you want._ '

Norma quickly hopped up the concrete steps and found another swimming pool inside the solarium.

 _'An indoor pool and an outdoor pool?'_ she thought wildly. She spotted the boom box in the corner and turned the music down. It was only with the music off that she could hear the whirling of an automatic pool cleaner, a little robot like bummer car battering along the indoor pool.

Norma didn't like it here. The indoor pool area smelling damp and slightly mildewy like all indoor pools tended to. She had to wonder about the owner of this estate to have such a need to show off.

She could hear laughter and knew it was Dylan. Would recognize her son's laughter anywhere. She quickly skirted the indoor pool and ended up in a small shower room. She walked past that and into a mud room next to, what could only be the houses' main kitchen.

It was meant for grand scale cooking. The kind you find at a very fancy restaurant. Two gas stoves with eight burners each. A large walk in cooler and separate walk in freezer.

All of it decorated french country chic. Even the cabinets were distressed to look patina with age.

Norma noticed that a French chef hadn't been in this fancy kitchen at all. Not if they started cooking with fast food take out and cold cereal.

She spied her son's favorite sugary cereal on the countertop and a sink with two used cereal bowls in it. If she checked the fabulous walk in cooler or the beautiful refrigerator with the built in ice maker, she was sure to find milk and maybe hot pockets in the freezer.

"So, we were in Iraq." she could hear Alex saying loudly from another room and Norma found her interest pulled away again to where her son surely was.  
"It was a desert. It was really hot. I wasn't used to it. I had to carry all this stuff on me and I got over heated. I started sweating really bad and I got dehydrated." Alex was explaining.

"What's dehydrated?" Dylan was asking as Norma crept out of the kitchen. She spotted the largest and most audacious looking dining room she'd ever seen before peering into a comfortable family room.

"It means I didn't have enough water in my body." Alex was saying.

Norma caught sight of him and felt her breath catch a little. He was dressed in a simple T-shirt and jeans, obviously he'd been working on something, but it was how he'd had Dylan dressed that had cause Norma to really be amused.

For whatever reason, her ten year old son was wearing combat gear. The kind a grown man would wear into war for Desert Storm. A large white MP badge was on the shoulder and Dylan was trying to balance the oversized, military issue helmet on his small head.

"What happened?" Dylan asked while Norma tried not to laugh.

"Well, I was so hot I started to see spots." Alex said.

"Spots?"

"Yeah. Purple ones." Alex clarified and sat down the bottle of water he'd been drinking. "I told my buddies about these purple spots I was seeing and they yanked me up, drug me to the medical tent and stripped me down to my skivvies."

"What are skivvies?" Dylan asked.

"Underwear." Alex told him.

Dylan snorted a laugh.

"Yeah, well." Alex said dryly. "I tried tell them I didn't go for that, but they didn't listen. They just put me in a blow up kiddie pool and this medic had packs of ice under my arms and on my groin to cool me down."

"On your thing?" Dylan asked in horror.

Alex nodded.

"Then what happened?" the child asked.

"They made me drink a lot of water; told me I could leave till I urinated clear." Alex said.

"What's urinated?"

"Going number 1." Alex explained easily.

"Oh." Dylan said and adjusted the military jacket on him more securely. It was far too big for him but he wanted to play dress up like any little girl would in her mother's clothes.

Norma was desperately trying not to laugh on the other side of the wall as she spied on them.

"Then what happened?" Dylan asked.

"Well, I'm jutting sitting there, practically naked in this blow up kiddie pool in the medical tent with a drink in my hand and ice on my groin. I'm all red from the heat, sweating and I look like I'm on some really bad vacation, when General Watts walks in; looks at me and starts laughing. I must have been the funniest thing he'd seen all day.

"What did you do?" Dylan asked in excitement.

"I couldn't really stand up, my legs didn't work. So I gave him a salute and tried to smile." Alex said.

Dylan was smiling and Norma slipped into the family room that the two men had taken over.  
"Mom!" Dylan said in excitement and Alex looked surprised to see her.  
"Hey." he said standing up strait and clearing his throat. "I thought you'd be resting still."

"I woke up." she explained simply and pointed to her son in the sand colored army boots with desert camouflage and hemet.

"What have you two been up to?" she asked curiously.  
Alex looked slightly embarrassed. There was no way he could explain how they had escalated into Dylan trying on all his old military clothing.

"I was in the Marines." Alex said. "In Iraq."

"And you had heat stroke." she reminded him.

"You heard that?" his eyes widened in alarm.

"Ice on the groin?" she whispered looking uncomfortable while Dylan busied himself trying to walk around the room in boots too big for him.

"Well, its' fine now." Alex said quickly. "In case you were wondering."

Norma didn't trust herself to respond. The topic had gotten to scandalous and she didn't want Dylan to hear. Instead she used her son as an easy way out; plucking the helmet off his head.

"Did you boys eat yet? Do you want me to make you something?" she asked.

"No, you're still recovering." Alex told her. "You shouldn't even be up. You need to go back to bed and rest. I'll bring you something to eat."

"More 'Fruiti Pebble' cereal?" she asked nodding back to the kitchen.

"It's good enough for Fred Flintstone." Alex told her and Norma rolled her eyes in disgust. "I'll bring you some real food." he promised.

"No fast food." she made him promise. "Fruit for something healthy for him." she nodded to Dylan who looked annoyed she was running their fun.

"I promise." Alex said quickly.

He was guiding her out of the family room and into the kitchen again. He stopped by the fancy looking fridge and picked out a grocery bag that looked like strawberries and other wholesome goodies.

"See?" he offered.

"Fine. But no violent video games and no scary movies." Norma reminded him feeling slightly cranky and tired all of the sudden.

"We can still go to the strip club later, right?" he asked in a low whisper.  
"No!" she laughed. "And no horrible war stories."

"Okay." he agreed but she knew Dylan had already heard plenty of them.

"What did you do in Iraq anyway?" she asked when Alex lead her past the indoor pool and outside again. It was still sunny and picture perfect. The sky a striking blue that mirrored the outdoor pool.

"Same thing I do here. I was an MP. I mainly arrested and held unruly soldiers." he said.

"Wife beaters?" Norma asked without thinking. The words coming out of her mouth before she could stop them.

"Sometimes." Alex said slowly. "Yes. Mostly guys acting up on leave or getting into fights with each other. That sort of thing."

"You threw them in jail?" she asked.

"If it was serious enough, they could be dishonorably discharged." he told her.

They had slipped around the outdoor pool and into the shade of the walkway to her cottage. It looked as storybook as ever.

"Did you read my diary?" she asked bluntly.

"Yes, I read all about how much you love Matt Damon." Alex said lazily.

Norma felt the dragon inside her grumble. It hated to be proven wrong.

"Leonardo DiCaprio, actually." she said smartly.

Alex made a face of disgust.

"The **boat** guy?" he said. "That's who you write all those love letters to?"

"Yes." she nodded happily.

"You know there was room for both of them on that floating door."

"That's not the point." Norma said suddenly feeling irate at the accusation. "He died for her. That's true love."

"Anyone can die. In fact everyone dies." Alex shrugged. "That's not true love. True love is living and seeking revenge together."

"So what? They survived and sought vengeance on all the worlds ice bergs?" she almost laughed at the absurdity of the argument.

Alex handed her the grocery bag of food.

"Yeah. I could see it. Start a car company and burn a bunch of emissions that melt all the ice bergs. That's real love; not this dying tragically in the sea. Real love isn't death, it's life. It takes a lot of courage to go on living." he told her.

 **So, the story of the heat stroke and ice in the groin and kiddie pool is real. A friend from massage school was a medic in Iraq and she treated heat stroke soldiers there all the time with this exact method. They stripped them down and iced them under the arm pits and on the groin. I think it's an adorable story and one Alex would have told Dylan and felt he had to be defensive of and assure Norma there wasn't any damage from.**

 **Also, I think Alex is the kinda guy who doesn't think dying is romantic at all. I think he would be pissed off at the idea of Romero and Juliet and** **Titanic and I think his idea of a romantic ending is the couple defeating the bad guys together and living happily ever after. He's not a quitter. Don't forget he broke out of prison just to get revenge for Norma's death.**


	8. Chapter 8

8.

~ Norma ate a few of the strawberries, crackers and grapes that were in the grocery bag Alex had given her before realizing she needed another nap. It was crazy how just a simple walk had exhausted her. Her body had taken a beating from her illness and she could hardly believe how fragile she felt. Almost like an old woman who tired quickly.

She stripped off the summer dress she had worn and found and old T-shirt with a faded picture of Garfield the cat to change into. It was a shirt that she had worn a lot during her heavier days and that now fit her too loosely around the stomach, hips and breasts. It was sentimental though; this shirt she practically lived in because she never ventured outside sometimes. Maybe she should just throw it out, but it was a grim reminder of where she'd come from. Of what she'd once been. You couldn't move forward if you kept looking back, but how could you plan for your future if you didn't embrace your past?

Her new body still felt alien to her after the weight loss. She wasn't used to the feeling of an actual waist and feeling of firmness to her body. She wasn't used to the idea of feeling attractive and wondered is Deputy Romero might find her body desirable.

Men had always looked away from her before. Her frumpy clothes with her layers that hid everything. Her long brown hair that fell over her shoulders and her large glasses. Only here, in this new place had she seemed to shed clothing off. Her clothing peeling off her and she stepped out of them with a new skin.

She hadn't had much time to see if other men noticed her or not. But she gathered from the way Alex looked at her the first time he saw her, he liked the way she wore that blue dress. A dress she would never wear before, but things were different now. She was different and she didn't mind if he looked at her.

She normally undressed and redressed as quickly as possible. Her weight always making her hide in shame for a long time until she finally confronted it and called it by its' ugly name.

Now, she looked at herself in the bathroom mirror. Standing there with nothing but nude colored panties on and wondering if she looked good. If someone like Alex might like the way she looked naked. Might want to see her naked.

She turned and glanced behind her at her back and buttocks. At the curve of her hips and waist and firmness of her breasts when she turned back. Her body was nothing at all like it had been before. A wide stomach that had protruded all around till she had no waist at all. Just a disgusting ring of fat that mocked her at every angle.

Now, she felt better. She felt stronger from the inside out and she could see her body reflecting that. She was slender, but she was tone. She certainly wasn't going to be on the cover of Playboy or of any fitness magazine, but she could live with this new body. This new body was strong and could last her for a long time.

She shifted her weight to one side and gave her reflection a slightly seductive look. Angling her hips and arching her back so her breasts looked larger.

She let out a laugh at the ridiculousness of it and pulled on her old Garfield T-Shirt. Her body hidden under the comfortable, heavy weighted cotton and it was impossible to tell if she was thin or not now under Garfield's faded bemused expression.

No, Alex probably didn't care about her body at all. Not when he could get any girl he wanted. It hardly mattered anyway. She wasn't interested in him. No matter how adorable he looked when she caught him in that family room with Dylan.

She felt a warm sensation inside her at the thought of Alex entertaining her son like that. It was the sort of thing a father and son would do. Something Sam never did with Dylan. He never made that kind of time with Dylan or with Norman even. Never made the time to talk to him or share stories or give them anything to admire or look up to.

Then to see her little boy dressed up like a pretend solider; it had made her heart ache with an unknown happiness.

 _'_ _Just go take your nap and stop thinking about him.'_ ordered the dragon.

Norma, feeling like a child sent to bed without supper wanted to pout a little, but fell asleep quickly again; the day already proving too much.

~ Alex had kept himself busy on his day off. Even during the summer months with the high tourist traffic, he had too many days off from work. He knew why. Of course he knew why. His father had been the Sheriff here not too long ago and was now serving prison time upstate for fraud and murder.

As a result, no one trusted deputy Alex Romero. The former Sheriff Romero's only child who happened to be a deputy in the same town his father had served. So, Alex got the sifts no one wanted and severely reduced hours once a week to even out the budget. It was why he couldn't afford an apartment and why he'd considered leaving the department and White Pine Bay all together.

It had been a difficult year after his father's arrest and the DEA investigating everyone.

Still, he'd come off unscathed and many people in town thought that was unfair. As for Alex, he just wanted to live his life. He wanted to make his own way and get out from under his father's shadow. A tough climb to be sure, but it could be done.

It had been a series of lucky breaks to house sit and take care of these properties while the owners were away. At least he didn't have to worry about a place to live anymore. He lived in luxury and could devote his paycheck to savings and basic living expenses.

Still, it was a lonely existence. One of the stricter rules of his work here was no house guests and no parties. So, he felt a little like Jack Torrance at the 'Overlook Hotel' most days. Alex knew it was breaking the rules to bring the Deeds woman and her son here to Nick Fords mansion, but they had nowhere to go and she was still too weak to really care for herself. She looked ready to pass out on their short walk back to the cottage just now.

It was irresponsible for the doctor to discharge her from the hospital with no real plan in place to care for her. If Alex hadn't seen to her car being towed to the house here, it might have been impounded. Not to mention the fact her son might have been in the system and that would have become a messy ordeal no one needed.

It seemed careless that she was released so soon when she was obviously so weak. Simply because the city was concerned she might sue and they hoped she might leave town before considering it.

Alex thought it was a good idea to sue the city. They were making millions off of the sell of that land right now and none of it would have happened if she hand't gotten sick. She was still sick in fact. Too sick to be left alone with just a ten year old boy to look after her.

Alex was worried about her. She'd lost more weight and her color was still off. She didn't sparkle as brightly as she had when they first met. That brightness he'd noticed about her seemed faded a little and he was worried it wouldn't come back.

"So, $20 and you pick up all the sticks around the front lawn and back lawn." Alex explained placing a large garden hat over John head and handing him a big work bucket.  
"Why do we have to pick up all the sticks? Why can't you just mow over them?" he asked looking excitedly at the professional riding lawnmower Alex would use later.  
"Because, they might damage the blade and it's expensive to fix that." he said. "After I mow, you can trim the weeds back."

John nodded excitedly. He was eager to earn some cash of his own as all kids were at that age.

"Front and back. Put them all in a big pile. Make sure you don't miss any." Alex warned and sent him racing off to collect the wayward sticks.

It would take him a while. Nick Ford's front lawn was massive with shade trees that were a century old. It had taken Alex all day last week to landscape the entire lawn. He mowed once a week because it was easier in the long run, and would make the property looked like someone was always there.

Under normal circumstances, Ford had a team of specialists who came once a week to beautify the property, but since he was in Scotland for the summer with his girlfriend and daughter Blair, simple maintenance would do.

Alex watched John collect small sticks into his work bucket for a little while. The child looking like he was on an Easter Egg hunt and would be at it for a while.

The house had felt a little better now that company was in it. Some of the tension had eased out of the walls. The sounds of laughter in the family room had chased away the feeling that this was an unpleasant place to live in.

Alex closed up the large front doors and checked the pristine parlor on the off chance it showed signs of disturbance. No one ever went in there as it was a 'show off room' with it's antiques, grand piano and high end oil paintings.

The echo of the house was creepy in the grand hallway with all the marble and stone statues of naked Greek goddess. Nick Ford had a thing for naked Greek women in any form. He put them in almost every room and the more time Alex spent alone in this house, the more and more he was learning to appreciate Greek mythology.

His favorite by far was a frighteningly, beautiful painting of Andromeda chined naked to a rock and about to be devoured by a sea creature unless Perseus arrived in time to save her. Which, in this painting, the hero Perseus didn't seem to make any appearance.

The fair maiden didn't look afraid of the monster or her fate however. Instead she stood and faced the beast, her bare chest thrust out fearlessly and her body a riot of tone muscle. It was as if she meant to fight the hideous monster and her being chained to a rock with no clothes on hardly mattered at all.

It was a complete contrast to the story Alex had always heard of Andromeda and the Kraken. One of a helpless, weeping princess who was about to be sacrificed to a sea creature and who was rescued by Perseus. This painting of Andromeda hardly needed saving and looked furiously down at her would be killer. Her nudity more like battle armor than something to be ashamed of.

It was a strange and curious painting. One that seemed out of place in Nick Ford's home. A man who, in Alex's opinion, had little respect for women.

The painting of this fearless Andromeda was in Nick Ford's office where Alex went to now. It was where he kept the computer that was available to use. Alex didn't have his own computer. Didn't see the need for one since he could use one at work and there was always the internet cafe in town.

He could still see John picking up sticks into his bucket from the office window. They would dump them into a bush pile when he was done and have a bond fire at the end of the summer.

For now, he turned on Nick Ford's desktop computer and glanced at the painting above the office bar while he waited for it to warm up and search for an internet connection.

"Hello, Andromeda, dear." he said feeling slight discomfort in his pants at her unapologetic nudity and salty glare at the sea monster. What he wouldn't give to be Perseus at that moment. Although, that particular Andromeda probably wouldn't need saving and might slap him in the face for his troubles.

 _'_ _That's alright.'_ he thought with some amusement. _'Whatever she needs to do. We can work out the details later.'_

He shook his head at the wild, intrusive idea of being slapped by this wild, naked warrior woman so unfortunately chained to a rock when she should be free.

It had felt like forever since he'd had a really satisfying sexual partner. Someone who he could do more than just cuddle with. He would be the first to admit he didn't mind the occasional flare of physical abuse inflicted on him. It showed passion and he could never get enough of that. It gave him something to try and tame. A nice girl who was perfectly acceptable in public but not at all a lady in his bed was all he ever wanted, and he couldn't believe it was so hard to find.

He'd dated and been with women around town who got their expectations of him up far too quickly. All too soon things had moved from going out to coffee to meeting the girl's parents and then Alex could feel that panic of a trap being closed in.

The sex with these women was never good enough. They were never enough to satisfy him or fill him with content. They were never secure enough in themselves to give back to him.

They could never be like Andromeda over there.

Alex looked away from the painting. It wasn't a good idea to think about fantasy women who could never be real. These savage women were occasionally nice to dream about, but they were long extinct. Replaced by suburban soccer moms who worried about calories, got bikini waxing and picked up Starbucks coffee on the way to PTA meetings and all while hiding a drinking problem.

There were no more warrior women left.

Alex started his internet search and was glad he wasn't doing this at work. He didn't want to leave a trail. Looking up a name could be traced back to him on his work computer.

Norma Bates had seemed like such and old fashioned name. One belonging to an old lady maybe; grandmother's name, or someone's great aunt. Why Vicki would want to kill an old woman was beyond him. Although he was sure this Norma Bates person was just a co-worker who had annoyed her or was rude. He was sure Norma Bates, a fussy, skinny old woman with 50 cats in an old house with an effeminate son who lived in her basement was alive and well.

Right away, a news story jumped on the screen and he knew this Norma Bates was the one he was looking for. It was from an Arizona newspaper. Barely two weeks ago now and someone named Sam Bates had reported his wife Norma missing.

Alex blinked and looked at the grainy, fuzzy picture of Norma Bates.

She was overweight and wearing dark sunglasses. Her long brown hair and layers of clothing obscuring her body. The distinctive impression of Garfield the cat on her shirt, his face looking unimpressed, was the only thing Alex could recognize. It was impossible to tell anything else about her by the picture. Couldn't they have provided a better picture?

He read how Norma Bates simply vanished without a trace on June 22nd along with her ten year old son Dylan.

This gave Alex pause and he looked out the office window again. John was still picking up sticks. Engrossed in his work.

Alex went back to reading the facts of the missing mother and son. The missing boy Dylan had a broken arm and there was another child, a six year old son left in the care of his grandmother.

Alex looked at the photograph of Norma Bates again. Things clicking into place a little to easily. Did Vicki kill this poor woman? Did she kill Norma Bates and kidnap her son? Was she capable of that? Why would she do such a thing?

Looking over the story it was clear the police suspected Sam Bates of Norma and Dylan's murder even though no bodies were found. An arrest looked emanate.

Alex wished he'd never looked at the first few lines of that diary. Never saw the names. Now, it was like he couldn't unseen it. Now it was like he couldn't look at Vicki the same way anymore. That bright smile, her contented happiness when she saw her son was safe. It was all an act.

Alex turned off the computer and went to check on John.

 **So I know it's odd to us that Alex wouldn't have had a computer and an internet cafe would have been a thing. But this is set in 2001. Not EVERYONE had their own PC back then at home if they had access to one at work, the library or whatever.**


	9. Chapter 9

9.

~ Norma woke up to a loud rapping at the front door. She'd felt like the noise had followed her into her dreams. She dreamed birds were pecking her windows and the rapping sounds were growing more and more insistent.

"No." she moaned and rolled over; trying to dive back into sleep. Sleep; where everything was safe and warm and she could live an infinite life.

The rapping noise was louder now. A harsh knocking that seemed to shake her awake and she realized someone was at the door.

Norma opened her eyes to a dusky light coming into her bedroom.

 _'What time is it?'_ she thought weakly and the knocking was louder and more abrasive than ever.

She quickly maneuvered out of bed and, almost tripping over the tangle of sheets, rushed out of her bedroom and to the front door. She hadn't even bothered to check to see who was knocking. The feeling of safety in this hidden cabin was practically smothering.

That violent knock again, enough to shake the door and its' frame made Norma quick to unlock and open it.

"Are you okay?" Alex demanded looking annoyed. His face pulled into a scowl she wasn't used to seeing. Normally, he was happy and almost playful but a darkness had settled over him with the evening's light. Almost like an annoyance about something.

Norma looked around, expecting something to have changed. She was still the same person. Still had two arms and two legs.

"I'm fine." she said groggily. "What… why were you banging on my door?"

"I've been knocking on your door for five minutes." he told her with a sharp tone. "You weren't answering. I almost broke it down. I thought you might need help again."

"Alex, I was sleeping!" Norma said feeling the need to defend herself for the simple crime of enjoying a nap. "It was only an hour."

"It's been nine."

"What?" she groaned.  
"It's been nine hours. You've been asleep for nine hours. It's almost eight in the evening." he said.

Norma took a step back. In truth, she could have gone back to sleep right now and been perfectly happy.

She noticed, once she stepped away from him, that his eyes fell on her Garfield T-shirt. She hadn't thought about how she was dressed. How she'd answered the door in such skimpy clothing and how the old shirt hit past her bottom, but just barely.

Alex, to his credit, looked away.

"We're cooking dinner." he said when Norma puller her arms over her chest. Suddenly very aware of her state of undress. He nodded towards the big house. "Maybe get dressed and join us? We made plenty; and you need a good meal."

"Okay." she said wishing he would go away. It was suddenly very awkward having him on her little porch like this.

Alex turned to go and Norma immediately shut the door behind him.

 _'Nine hours?'_ she chastised herself bitterly pulling off her old shirt and walking, half naked, back to her bedroom to get dressed.

~ Less than five minutes later, she was dressed in summer shorts and top that fitted her better. She'd combed her hair, pinned it back and washed her face. She didn't bother to put on shoes. The main house and its' guest cottage seemed like they were in their own hermetically sealed bubble. It gave her a feeling of being sheltered in some way. As if they were indoors, even when she was outside.

Dylan and Alex were by the pool, a small grill was set up and Norma could something wonderful cooking.

"There she is." Alex nodded to the little boy who'd been eating a hamburger.

"Mom!" Dylan said looking tired and dirty but was smiling.

"Hi, honey!" Norma said quickly trotting to their makeshift cooking sight.

"Mom, I made $20 today." Dylan told her proudly.

"Oh?" Norma asked in surprise. Alex was ignoring them and prepping a hamburger for her to eat.

"Yeah." Dylan was saying eagerly. "I helped, Alex… um Deputy Romero with the yard so he could mow."

"Wow!" Norma said feeling a large smile coming across her face. She felt better after her nap and that food was about to be given to her.

"Yeah, we finished cleaning the pool to and we checked the chemicals and they're all good." Dylan explained.

"That's wonderful, honey." she told him when Alex handed her a plate.

"Thank you." she said sensing a coldness that had suddenly drifted between them.

Dylan had already finished his supper and Norma noticed a very impressive model sail boat floating in the grand pool.

"What's that?" she asked Alex nodding to the toy boat that was most certainly not for kids.

"One of the owners lake toys." he said. "They take them out on the bay and use a remote control to 'sail' them around."

He had his own plate of food and the two adults watched as Dylan, remote control in hand, now navigating the expensive looking toy boat around the large pool. They were both sitting at a neatly arranged patio table and could watch Dylan comfortably.

The stillness and peace of the country air was soothing, but Norma couldn't relax. Something was different. Something had changed.

"Is it okay that he's playing with that?" Norma asked worriedly. "It looks like it's not for kids."

"Its' fine." Alex told her. "Nick Ford hasn't touched it in years. I found it in the garage and we fixed it up."

"Okay. I just don't want you to get into trouble." she whispered. Alex shook his head.

The silence between them growing and something else she couldn't describe. A tension and distrust.

"I didn't mean to sleep so long." she whispered apologetically. "Leaving you to babysit."

Alex refused to look at her.

"We were fine. It was nice to have company." he said and looked away from her. "I spend so much time here alone."

"Well…" she said, not sure of what to do next. "I was thinking we could be on our way tomorrow. I hate putting your job here in jeopardy."

"You don't have to leave." he said cooly. "It's no trouble."

"You've done so much for us. Its' time we go. We'll leave in the afternoon. I'm really feeling much better now." she told him.

Something was wrong, something was very wrong.

"Do you want me to ask you stay?" he asked in that cool detached voice he'd suddenly acquired which she didn't like at all. His eyes finally roamed over to hers and she didn't like the way they looked at her now. It wasn't the kind and soft way he'd looked at her before. They had narrowed and become judgmental. As if searching for something in her and she didn't know how to defend herself. How do you defend yourself against eyes like that? That you once trusted and that used to look at you with such affection. Eyes that now seemed to rake over you, looking for imperfections and flaws to your character.

What had happened between them while she was sleeping?

"Do you want me to stay?" she challenged him. She knew, knew with certainty that he wanted her to stay with him here. That he wanted her to stay in this pristine little world. This isolated place of safety where they were untouched and unseen.

He said nothing though.

"I think it would be best… if you stayed till you're well." he said slowly. "You're still very weak."

"I'm not weak." she snapped. Her voice so abrupt that Dylan turned to look back at them.

Alex looked away from her.

"You should eat." he said.

~ Night fell over the large mansion and Alex did his midnight rounds. The house was especially creepy at night. The place being so large and empty that it echoed with strange noises.

Alex engaged the outdoor lighting and flooded the lawn with a warm and comforting light. He turned on the lights at different times each evening. He rotated the indoor lights as well to at least give the appearance that someone was home and active in the house.

Everyone in town knew Nick Ford and his family was out of the country but it was apart of Alex's job to make the ground appear that they were inhabited by a large group of people.

So, he kept lights on in different rooms during the night, turned on outside lights at night and patrolled the grounds when he couldn't sleep.

No one ever came this far out of town. The mansion was too isolated and removed for that. In the month Alex had been here, he'd never once had a visitor. Still, it was past midnight and he couldn't sleep. It wouldn't hurt to go on a walk and justify it as a security check.

He had his two house guests he had to keep safe after all.

He walked down one long drive and circled back again. His thoughts roaming over what he'd read online that day; how certain things lined up a little too perfectly.

How Norma Bates had vanished almost the same time Vicki Deeds had arrived in White Pine Bay. How both their son's had broken arms. They were both running from a man named Sam. The photo's and physical descriptions were way off, but appearances could change. Anyone could change the way they looked easily.

All you had to do was watch one of the hundreds of reality shows to see a suburban house wife be transformed with make-up, hair and new clothes. All the proof he needed was when she answered the door wearing that T-shirt.

He could have believed anything she told him if she'd answered the door in anything else. But she was wearing the same shirt Norma Bates had been wearing in the missing photo.

Why was Norma Bates hiding out here? Didn't she understand people thought she was dead? That people thought her son was dead? That Sam Bates arrest would happen any day?

Is that what she wanted?

Alex felt slightly sick at the idea he'd been so wrong about her. He could have forgiven a woman who was running away. Trying to make a new life for herself. But this… he didn't know what to make of this.

The police in Arizona didn't know where mother and son were. They had just vanished. Naturally whey would assume the worst had happened.

He would have to talk to her. With Vicki, or Norma. Whoever she was and get the truth.

He couldn't allow her to just vanish again. If she left, he was obligated to report that he had seen Norma Bates and Dylan. He would be obligated to provide a lead into their disappearance and they would be found.

Alex was almost to the main house when he head a splash out by the large outdoor pool and sounds of water turning. A soft cry belonging to a female erupted from the still night air and he quickly walked back to the end of the house.

The pool area was dark, but the lights from the house cast enough of a glow to see what was happening. It wasn't rowdy kids who were looking for a good time. It wasn't a wayward deer or anything like that.

Alex paused and quickly slunk back behind a wall; effectively concealing himself while he watched her swimming.

Norma or Vicki. Whatever she called herself. Whoever she really was, had decided to take a midnight swim and the coolness of the water had taken her by surprise.

Alex felt a pang of concern. She was still too weak to be exerting herself like this. She'd eaten dinner but looked tired after. Her color coming back but it was obvious she needed more rest and time to recover.

He felt his breathing pick up in worry that she might grow too exhausted in that large pool and drown. What if he had to run in and save her?

She didn't seem to grow tired though. She did a few simple laps on the short side of the pool. Her body elegant and Alex mused that her swimsuit must had matched her skin. He thought… no. It had to be a trick of the light.

Only, when she got out of the pool, her body soaking wet and shimmering, he saw she'd gone swimming with nothing on at all. She stood before the grand house bare skinned and without a thought to her own nudity.

Her hands were wringing out her wet hair as her body shown with magnificent beauty.

Alex clutched the wall to keep himself from almost falling over in delighted shock.

Her body was beautiful. Her breasts seeming to gleam from the cool water as she was exposed to the warm night air.

She reminded him painfully of his Andromeda upstairs. Of his regal Venus emerging from the clam shell. The picture of female power and beauty. A creature not at all concerned about the shame of her own nakedness and couldn't be bothered by a mortal man seeing her, and dreaming of possessing her.

Alex felt slightly faint and had to remind himself to breathe. He shouldn't be spying on her, but he couldn't help it. She was so unafraid there by the pool. She knew she was alone and did nothing at all to shield her breasts or body from nature and it's onlookers.

She finished wringing out her hair and lazily walked to the side of the pool where she'd first dove in. A large beach towel was waiting for her there and she dried her hair with it before wrapping her body up.

Alex was glad to see that her nipples looked painfully erect from the cold waters of the pool.

'Good.' he thought happily and then had to chastise himself for such a thought. His very own Andromeda made into flesh was right before him; barely thirty feet away. She'd broken free from her chains and beaten the sea monster. Now she climbed out of the waters victorious. Why should her nudity be a problem? And what need would she have for a hero after all that? Perseus was useless to her now.

The towel looked ugly and cumbersome once wrapped over her body. It made her body hideous and gross after the display of her elegant evening wear. Without thinking, he stepped free form the shadows and approached her. He wasn't sure what he was going to say to her, if she would be scared or upset at the idea he 'might' have seen her.

Her body was covered securely with that awful towel. A sacrilegious act of defiling art in his opinion. She hadn't seen him when he stepped closer to her. His hands trembling slightly and his body aching into just touch her.

"Norma?" he said and she tuned around in surprise at hearing her true name.


	10. Chapter 10

10.

~ Eating a meal with Alex and Dylan by the pool had felt wonderful and relaxing. It was something that normal people did. They did this all the time without fighting or not speaking or harshly criticizing other people.

Norma could, if only for an hour, pretend that this was her life. That she lived here in this beautiful bubble with Alex and that they were well protected and looked after.

The moment the thought entered her mind, she found a sickly need to vomit tickle her throat. She didn't want to be 'looked after'. Not the way she was used to. Told when to get up, what to cook and when to go to bed. She was even told when she and Sam would be having sex and if she doing it right. She was instructed by Sam on how to act in public as though she were a child. She wasn't allowed to talk much even in her own home. She had to agree with everything he said, even when he broke Dylan's arm and snarled that the boy had it coming and to stay out of his way.

She'd been no better than a dog on a leash. A neglected pet who only wanted to make its' owner happy and didn't know how. Who flinched and whimpered at every turn and assumed all the bad things happening were because of them.

She didn't want to be anyone's pet anymore. She didn't want to be looked after. Sam had looked after her. He'd provided her with a house in a nice neighborhood and a new SUV to drive. Dylan attended private schools and outwardly, they had it all.

Inwardly, their home was empty from lack of furniture and she was a prisoner inside. She wasn't allowed friends and she and the boys were always underfoot somehow. Her boys slept on mattresses on the floor and she had a spartan wardrobe because she never had money to go shopping. Sam controlled everything she did and she was just a bothersome pet. Not a wife, not a partner; just a dog who needed affection and validation.

She'd swallowed hard and reminded herself that Alex didn't treat her like Sam had. She'd been sick after all. She could barely look after herself, let alone Dylan. Alex had come in like a super hero and saved the day. Given her a place to land until she could get back on her feet; literally.

He'd made sure Dylan was comforted and looked after, so why were these dark thoughts invading Norma's mind?

 _'_ _Because he wants to control you. He wants to keep you here. He's not that different from Sam.'_ she thought hatefully while watching Alex correct the toy boat in the pool for Dylan. It was well past sunset now and she was feeling full and tired.

 _'_ _He may seem like he's protecting you, but that's how Sam had started to.'_ the voice said. _'Maybe he doesn't want to put you on a leash but he defiantly wants you to be a pet. Even if it's just a house cat.'_

Alex had wisely brought dinner on paper plates so it was a simple matter of throwing them out after eating. Alex had asked her what she wanted for dinner tomorrow when Norma suddenly stood up.

"John!" she said loudly. The name sounding strange as she said it. As though she never said such a common name. "Its' time to go to bed."

"Mom, it's still early." Dylan argued and looked pitifully at his boat.

"The boat will be here when you get up tomorrow." Alex said plucking up the intricately detailed model Dylan had been occupied with all evening.

"You need a bath and I've got your spiderman pajamas." Norma said helping Alex toss out the rest of their paper trash.

"MOM!" Dylan hissed in alarm and his face flushing red. He was obviously embarrassed to be treated like a child in front of Alex.

"Come on." Norma said shepherding her son back to the cottage. She turned and looked back at Alex.

"I didn't ask about my car. Was it impounded?" she asked him. She'd forgotten about the little economy car that she'd bought on craigslist for cash. With everything that had happened and being taken to this place, she hadn't thought about her car for days.

Alex shook his head.

"I have your keys. I buddy of mine drove it over here for me." he said. "You weren't thinking of leaving now, were you?"

Dylan had left them. His small, bare feet making slapping sounds around the pool before he ducked into the shadows and onto the pathway towards the cottage. The child had no use for grownups or boring conversations.  
"Umm… soon." she said.

"You're still recovering." he argued as if she were being unreasonable. "You were really sick."

"I'm much better now." she told him brightly. "They let me out of the hospital."

"They were wrong to do that." he told her harshly. "I was thinking, when your lawyer comes tomorrow, you would tell him that you were released too early. You're still too weak to look after yourself."

Norma froze. A lawyer would mean questions; investigating her and Dylan. She felt a wave of dizziness rush over her.

"I don't want to talk to the lawyer. Its' fine." she said. Alex looked suspicious. That coldness had kept between them like a ghost. A suspicion of things they didn't say.

"You need to talk to him. He'd getting a settlement for you." he said gravely. "I know you don't want your ex knowing where you are, but…"

The silence spun between them. A powerful thing that made Norma's body hurt with anxiety.

"You have the keys?" she asked crossing her arms over her chest and then her waist.

Alex nodded.

"They're up in the house." he nodded to the mansion. "I'll leave them on the kitchen counter when I get up. Vicki, I want you to wait a little while before leaving. This whole ordeal…" he shook his head. "You might not be over it. What if you're driving and you pass out behind the wheel?"

Norma looked at him horrified. Not because he suggested she might have a wreck but because he called her by the name 'Vicki'. She never thought she would hate a name so much. It made her sad beyond words that Alex didn't know her real name. That when he thought about her, he didn't think of her with her real name.

"I-" she started say.

"Stay till the week is out." Alex said. A hint of his former self coming back. A happiness shinning brightly in his eyes. "You'll keep me company at least. If you don't want to talk to the lawyer, I'll make him go away."

It had seemed too easy. Alex making it easy for her to stay in their bubble. As if he needed her and not that she was indebted to him for her care.

"I still want my keys." she said. "I need to be… able to leave when I want to."

Alex looked a little hurt but nodded.

"I'll leave them on the kitchen counter in the morning." he said patiently.

Norma leaned away from him. There was still that strangeness that had appeared between them that evening. That unwelcome ghost that had created a chill in their relationship.

~ Dylan was asleep by midnight but Norma was still awake. Her diary was out on the little kitchen table and she'd been amazed at how much had happened since her last entry. She quickly, yet methodically worked backwards and filled in the details of getting sick, of what she'd been told of Alex rescuing her and taking her to the hospital. Of Dylan having his cast removed and of the cabins being demolished and of Alex bringing her and Dylan here.

She paused and looked up feeling her neck and hand strain at all the information she'd written. She'd kept everything clinical. Factual and objective. If she hadn't witnessed something first hand, she wrote that Dylan or Alex had told her about it.

She wrote a little about the mansion, the two swimming pools and the little guest cottage. How no one knew they were here and she felt very isolated and protected.

 _~ I sometimes think I would like to live here forever. We were eating dinner by the pool, Alex and I. The two of us watching Dylan with this toy sailboat and I thought it felt like we were a real family. We must have looked like a real family. Like something out of a movie. But it's not a movie and it's not real. It's not real because Alex doesn't know the real me. He doesn't even know my real name._

 _I think he's starting to suspect something to. I felt a difference when we were together today. He didn't seem as happy._

 _Dylan adores him. They were talking about Alex tour of duty in the Marines and Alex had him dress up in his old uniform. It was the sweetest thing I've ever seen. The kind of thing Sam wouldn't have done with him. It made me happy to see, but now I'm scared. I'm scared to let Dylan get too close. Because I don't know this man very well and I know it won't last._

 _I let a man into my life before. I let a man endanger my kids before. If it was just me, I could live with these decisions on my own, but I have to think of Dylan and Norman. I have to be careful about who I let into their lives._

 _Sam once seemed like a great guy. A guy who came to us when things were bad and rescued us._

 _He changed so quickly and now I feel like I offered up my children as a sacrifice to him. Dylan was so young and I practically forced this 'new father' on him. I was so quick to marry him, so quick to have a baby with him because I wanted to cement the relationship. I can't just have another man around my kids just because I'm lonely or need help sometimes._

 _Even if Alex seems to be the perfect guy, that could all be a facade. I could be placing my sons into a dangerous situation with a man I barely know just because I'm attracted to him. Just because I want to start over so badly and he would make it easier. I can't do that. I'm a mother. I don't get to put myself first. I have to get Norman back and we need to move somewhere else._

~ Norma leaned away from the paper. Her writing had gotten sloppy with her emotions winning out. She had to write this down though. Had to steel herself to leave in the morning and take Dylan with her. They would check into a motel and she would find out what was happening with Sam Bates. She would devise a plan then to get Norman back.

She looked at the pages and knew she couldn't end it there. She had to close things properly.

 _~ In the morning, I'll take us to another county. I won't say goodbye to Alex. It will make it easier. If I don't say goodbye. It will be better if he hates me a little._

 _The way he looked at me tonight by the pool, it was different. I didn't like the way he looked at me then. He'd always looked at me with kindness before. Things feel different._

 _I don't want to remember him looking at me that way. I want to always remember him being kind to me. Of looking at me like he cared for me. Like he cared for me when he hardly knew me. It will be easier this way._

~ Norma looked over that last part. Her writing much easier to read. She didn't want to leave this place. To leave Alex, but she'd written it down and she knew it had to happen.

She wanted to cry at the prospect of leaving him. Of leaving this place of refuge and peacefulness. She hid her diary back in the large air vent and went to her bedroom. Her body still too wired for sleep.

She'd slept most of the day and didn't want to go back to sleep. It was well past midnight, and a foolish idea, but no one was around and the only two people here were asleep. They wouldn't even know she'd gone for a midnight swim.

She didn't have a bathing suit, but that didn't matter. She could always swim in her underwear or… she smiled at the thought, nothing at all.

Not eating much over the last few days had made her feel slimmer and slightly more confident. She checked on Dylan before gently padding outside to the Greek pool.

The blue colored waters were still alarmingly beautiful even in the weak light of the moon and the far off lights of the main house. If she had money one day, she'd get herself a pool like this. One with blue colored tiles in it so that it always looked as blue as the grecian ocean.

Norma slipped off the cotton night dress she'd been planning to wear to bed and, sensing she was alone here, pulled down her panties.

It felt exhilarating to be naked in the outdoors like this. Her fragile body exposed to the moonlight and to the prying windows of the mansion.

For all she knew, the owners could have come home and could see her right now. She smiled at the idea of Alex lying awake and maybe catching her walking around the pool. Tapping the waters with her toe and testing the temperature.

She didn't bother to conceal her breasts or body. She walked and leaned over as if fully dressed. She'd worked hard to lose the cumbersome weight and she felt renewed. Even with her recovery, Alex's attention and being well fed, she felt strong and capable.

 _'_ _It's now or never.'_ she told herself and dove into the waters.

It was much colder than she thought. The waters seeming to hold onto the coldness more than the air. She could feel the air bubbles tickling her naked skin like little fingers.

Norma kicked and moved her body upward to the surface. The cold water enveloping her and cradling her in such a natural state.

She let out a little scream when she came up for air and smiled. The waters weren't welcoming, but they had her now. She wasn't going to hop out and shiver all the way back to the cottage. She moved a little more to stir up her blood and tried to reassure herself that she would warm up.

She used to love to swim as a child, and was good at it, but the muscle memory had forgotten itself. She wasn't as graceful as she used to be. It wasn't like riding a bike where she could go without doing it for so long.

Norma kicked and moved her arms as if caressing the water and her body remembered what to do. That swimming was actually hard work and moved a lot of body parts.

She swam the short end of the pool and back again. Her back stroke with her belly and breasts exposed to the air felt nice. Not like being in a bathtub, but of stealing away to a foreign place; escaping from something.

She wasn't sure why such an image leapt to her mind, but she liked it. Liked the idea of running away and swimming in the cold sea. That her clothes had been washed away and she was truly free. Reborn.

Finally, after a few laps, Norma decided to get out. The water was cold, too cold, and she was getting tired and feeling weak. She'd thankfully brought a good size beach towel from the cottage bathroom and longed to wrap herself up again.

She noticed this odd pool had stairs instead of a ladder. The owners didn't want to ruin the graceful nature of the Greek style by putting in a metal ladder of diving board. So, Norma swam to the concrete steps and felt her feet touch the rough surface.

She shivered slightly at the harshness of warm summer air on her cold, wet skin. Her nipples hadn't liked the swim at all. They'd become hard and erect from the cold in protest. Even when they feel the warm summer air, they didn't relax.

Norma stepped easily out of the cold waters. Her hair dripping wet and she knew she would have to take a shower before bed. The good news, she decided as she rang out her hair from the moisture, was that she would sleep well tonight. Swimming had always exhausted her as a child and would no doubt do so now.

She felt perfectly comfortable slipping around the pool to where she'd left her towel. Her body feeling a little warmer now that it was out of the water. The dry fabric on her skin was wonderful and as she brushed off the last of the water, wrapped the towel around her body, she could feel eyes on her.

She paused, like a deer in a meadow that knows it's being hunted. Her breathing slowing down and her gaze directly ahead.

"Norma?" came a voice and she turned to see Alex had emerged from the shadows.


	11. Chapter 11

11.

~ Her face looked surprised. Her eyes going wide and a smile blooming when she recognized him.

"Oh!" she said and Alex found he was once again smitten by such an enchanting smile. She brushed back her damp hair and secured the towel better. Her cheeks blushing slightly while her arms crossed protectively over her chest. A sudden act of modesty after all he'd witness already.

"You surprised me." she admitted shyly.

"Yeah." he said nodding. At first he thought she hadn't heard him call her Norma. "I was out checking the grounds."

He nodded at the pool.

"You went for a swim." he said and she looked embarrassed.

"Water was a little too cold." she smiled looking eager to escape the conversation.

"The indoor pool is heated." he offered. "Next time you go swimming."

Her smile faltered a little and she looked uncomfortable.

"Right." she nodded and smiled nervously.

"Well, I should let you get back. You don't Dylan to wake up and wonder where you are." Alex said cooly. His attention focused unflinchingly on her reaction.

As if cold water had been thrown on her, Norma's face fell. Her color running out of her cheeks again and Alex was afraid she might faint.

"You… you called me Norma before." she nodded gravely. Realizing now that she'd been tricked. "Dylan…" she added and refused to look at him.

"That's your name isn't it?" he said more confidently. "Norma Bates. Your son's name is Dylan."

Her eyes flitted nervously around as if looking for a way out of this conversation.

"People back in Arizona think you and Dylan died. That something terrible happened to you." he said. "Your husband Sam is a prime suspect in your disappearance, Norma. They think he murdered you."

She refused to look at him. Her face seeming to be made of stone. The only thing on her that showed any sign of life was her eyes. When she would blink slowly. Her blue eyes becoming glass like and lost.

"Norma, we have to go to call the authorities in Arizona. Let them know you're alive and safe. The news report says Sam Bates-"

"I'm not calling anyone to tell them where I am." she snapped harshly. Her mouth going into a strait line as she cast those luminous eyes on him in judgement.

"Look, I understand why you did what you did." Alex said calmly. "He wasn't a nice guy and you wanted to get away. You wanted to get your son away. Lot of women do it, but this guy could easily be convicted if you don't step forward."

The look on her face had become menacing; manipulative and crafty. What was worse, it wasn't fearful or embarrassed, it was angry.

Alex knew all he needed to know from that look. He could see it all play out perfectly. As though in a movie with a skillful narrator to guide him along to the only conclusion that made sense.

"You **want** them to think you're dead." he realized and she looked away. "You want them to think you and Dylan are dead; and for Sam to go to prison."

He could almost feel the puzzle pieces snapping into place. It wasn't enough that she left him. She wanted him to burn for all the abuse she and her children had suffered.

"Norma." he said rationally. "You can't fake your death. You can't just assume another identity. You'll eventually get caught."

He could feel his heart pounding at the radical idea. Everyone at one time in their life had wanted to just vanish and start over under a new identity. This woman had actually done it.

She remained silent.

"Norma?" he asked. "Talk to me. Tell me what happened."

She shook her head. Her lips were now a frown.

"Norma?" he asked again.

"I think I should go… check on John." she said dreamily.

Without meaning to, Alex grabbed her arm and pulled her back to him. He wasn't the kind of man who'd ever been physically aggressive with a woman before but he felt almost out of his mind just now. He wasn't sure at all what was real or not.

"This isn't a game." he warned her.

"I'm not talking to you." she hissed back and tears brimmed her eyes. "You… you're trying to trick me? Where'd they put the wire, deputy?"

"Wire?" he laughed but it felt dry and humorless. "People who worry about that kind of thing are always guilty, Norma."

Her eyes fought with his and he was forced to look away.

"I'm not wearing any wire. You can talk to me." he said at last. "You can be honest."

"I don't believe you." she said weakly. Her voice sounding broken and childlike.

Alex wasn't sure how to make her believe him. He'd just put the puzzle together that day, did she really think that was enough time to contact the FBI or record their conversation.

"We can go swimming." he laughed meaning it as a joke. He didn't think for a moment she would take him seriously. "The indoor pool is heated. We can talk there."

~ Norma shook away the nervousness she'd felt since Alex told her he knew the truth. She didn't think he was wearing any wire to entrap her into admitting everything, but she couldn't risk it.

She glanced behind her at Alex undressing on the other side of the indoor pool. His back was respectfully to her, as though he didn't care in the least she was naked.

Norma let the large beach towel fall carelessly down and, eyeing that Alex's back was still away from her, she dove in.

He hadn't been wrong, the indoor pool was heated to a comfortable temperature. The waters once more ticketing her naked flesh in places she wasn't used to being touched. If she had her own heated pool, she would swim naked in it everyday.

She resurfaced just in time to see Alex descending the built in steps into the water. She looked respectfully away just in time, but he hadn't bothered with clothing either. His body defined with impressive muscle tone, but not overly so. Not enough to intimidate or scare her. Just enough to make her appreciate it.

She felt her face flush hot with embarrassment and kept her eyes averted away from him. Pretending to have great interest in the tile work of the indoor pool room.

Alex moved towards her and she had to be careful not to let the tides he was creating expose her bare breasts. It was easier for him, he only had to worry about exposure below the waist. She had everything else to keep hidden. It didn't help the pool had under water lights and the only cover she had was distortion of the waters surface.

She heard and felt the lapping of water and Alex moving gracefully towards her, both of them standing in the middle of the pool with Norma on tiptoe at the deeper end.

She noted that Alex looked especially handsome soaking wet and how unfair it was that a man like him would always be good looking without really trying hard.

"Happy?" he asked and moved closer to her. Her feet automatically stumbling backwards in retreat. They were both naked after all and they hardly knew each other. She kept finding herself in awkward siltations with him. If her life wasn't so tragic, it could be a romantic comedy.

He looked around the pool room with its' high ceilings that echoed and the noise of water.

"No wires, no one else can hear us." he told her. His voice low and intimate. "Tell me."

Norma looked at his face. A face that had shown her nothing but kindness and concern. She wanted to trust him but trusting the wrong people was dangerous.

She moved her arms around her as if treading water but it was really to keep Alex from coming too close. This was by far the most intimate she'd been with a man since Sam.

"It started when I had to take the boys to the emergency room." she admitted. "I had to lie for him. I had to lie to protect Sam and it felt like I was sacrificing my children to protect him. He beat our son Norman for the smallest thing; crying too much or running in the house. I knew then…"

"Why didn't you just leave him? Why fake your death?" he demanded. "The man's going to go to prison. It's serious."

Norma felt defensive.

"He **should** go to prison." she said darkly. "He broke Dylan's arm, gave Norman a concussion and abused me for years. He would have killed us if I'd stayed."

"Why didn't you call the police?"

"You think I didn't?" she laughed. "You think the neighbors didn't call the police?"

Alex looked wounded but she felt a certain power rush over her.

"The cops would come, look at my bruised and bleeding face and do nothing." she said. "Sam owned a business that employed hundreds of people. We had a nice home and he would tell everyone how his wife is mentally unstable and made things up. How she wanted attention or drank too much and he wanted to put her in treatment. They always believed him. Always. They wouldn't even look at me. It was like I wasn't even there. Like I was already dead."

She said this last part with such sourness that she couldn't bear to even look at him. Alex was a cop after all. Who knew how many domestic abuse cases he saw a day. How many he walked away from because it was so easy to dismiss the wife as being hysterical. Once the husband accused her of being mentally imbalanced or on drugs, it was all over. No one would take her seriously after that.

"He got away with it. He got away with it because everyone gets away with everything. There's no justice. After a while… I learned. I learned not to cry out for help. I learned to lie to people if they got suspicious. Lie to doctors and never have anyone over. Never make friends. Never say anything bad. Just hide. Hide in the house and hope it will be a good day." she shrugged and her breasts became slightly exposed from the water.

Alex looked winded. As if he'd been right there with her for all of Sam's abuse.

"Why not just leave him?" he asked. "File an order of protection?"

"He broke Dylan's arm and threw me down the stairs in the same week." she scoffed. "He'd been doing it for years. You really think a piece of paper will stop him? He doesn't even care if Dylan and I are still alive. He waited two days before he even reported us missing and he didn't say a word about Dylan's broken arm. He doesn't want us found, he doesn't care. And when he's in prison, when he's in a place where he can't hurt us ever again, I'm going to go back there and get my other son."

"Norma, you can't live under an assumed identity. You'll get caught. People always do. We have airport cameras with face recognition now. You can't just assume another identity and think no one will ever find out." he said calmly.

They'd been moving around each other in the warm waters. Alex always approaching, Norma always retreating; moving in a circular pattern without end. She wasn't sure what he would do if he finally did capture her. If she let him get too close to her.

She didn't like that he was fighting her with logic. That she might lose this argument.

Alex looked at her questioningly. Seeming to read her mind.

"The police would have to have good reason to think you and Dylan are dead. No bodies." he said slowly. His eyes narrowing. He moved closer to her and Norma stepped away on tip toe. The waters hardly covering her breasts at all now. Alex chanced a look down at her exposed flesh and then back at her face.

"Why? Why would they think that?" he asked.

"I left our SUV behind." she said simply and sank a little further into the water. "I left my purse with my ID behind to."

Alex's brows furrowed.

"What else?" he asked.

Norma swallowed.

"I had… learned to draw blood. Off of youtube. You can lean anything off YouTube. I drew my own blood, put it around the bathroom, then cleaned it up. Cleaned up just enough of it…" she swallowed hard. "That it would be found by the people looking for it."

"You staged a crime scene?" Alex whispered in shock. "Norma, you could go to prison for that."

"I won't." she said confidently. "Norma Bates is dead."

"Who's the real Vicki Deeds then?"

"Someone I met at the gym. I'd hired a personal trainer, went on a diet. Lost a lot of weight." she explained easily.

Alex's eyes went wide and he didn't hide the fact he wanted to see more of her body that was hiding under the water.

"The real Vicki is alice and well. She was my friend. She's living in Spain now and isn't going to come back to the US. I was able to get cash from Sam's business safe. More than enough to get away. She helped me get new birth certificates for the boys. She wanted to help." Norma explained.

"Help you right into prison." Alex corrected. "What if she comes back stateside?"

"She won't." Norma said quickly although that was always a possibility.

"So only one person knows who and what your plan was." Alex accused.

"She only knew we needed new identities." Norma explained. "She had no idea I was faking my own death."

"Norma, you have to step forward. Before it's too late." Alex said shaking his head. He'd stepped closer to her and pulled her arms towards him. "They'll arrest Sam any day but if you come out and say you and Dylan are alive and you were escaping an abuser-"

"What about the blood in my bathroom?" she accused hotly. "How do I explain that?"

Alex shook his head but wouldn't let her go. He still had her hands in his and they were moving again around each other. A strange sort of dance in the pool.

"If you're caught… and you will be caught… you will go to prison." he said rationally.

"I won't get caught." she said quickly.  
"Norma, I found out the truth in less than a month." he told her.

"Only because of Dylan's broken arm. You saw my old pictures. No one would recognize me now."

Alex looked annoyed. Like he wanted to yell at her but couldn't bring himself to do it.

"I'm trying to help you here." he said at last with some exhaustion in his voice. "Why won't you let me help you?"

"I don't need help." she said pathetically. "Dylan and I can leave tomorrow. You never have to say you saw us at all."

She winced at the hurt expression passing over his face.

"Tomorrow?" he asked pulling her closer. Norma tried to step away but his grip was too firm.

"I think it's for the best." she whispered back.

"Norma, I'm… I'm not going to tell anyone." he promised. "I'm not making you leave. You're safe here. I just wanted to know the truth."

It would be so easy to let him in. To fall for him just a little. To let him pull her out of the pool and take her to bed with him. The two of them not even bothering with clothes as they fumbled in the darkness of his bedroom. Or maybe they wouldn't even make it to his room. The couch in the family room were large enough; comfortable enough.

Norma swallowed again. Her throat feeling dry and her stomach feeling like it was full of excited butterflies and fireworks.

"You can stay." he said seductively. His voice luring her in even as he pulled her closer to him. "I want you to stay."

"I should go… I need to check on Dylan." she said ripping herself away from him.

She slipped away and swam out into the deep end. Her arms grasping towards the ledge like a drowning woman. She could feel his eyes on her. Feel how he wasn't going to politely turn away this time when she climbed back out.

She spotted her beach towel and had to reach for it. Her clumsy movements of holding onto the ledge and keeping her towel aloft were a bit difficult.

She managed to maneuver to the shallow end without looking back at him. Her side vision detecting he was standing in only hip deep water. Daring her to look back at him.

Gracefully, yet awkwardly, she wadded out of the waters with her back to him. Her bare buttocks exposed but that fine. She wrapped her towel around herself and hurried away. Not looking back until she was on the path to the cottage.


	12. Chapter 12

12.

~ Norma had awoken early to find Dylan was already up and dressed for the day. Her son pestering her to go and visit his friend Oscar because there wasn't anything to do here.

"What are you talking about?" Norma asked while she slipped on her shoes and the two of them headed down the path to the main house. She was focused on getting her keys back from Alex and creating an escape plan.

She wasn't even sure where her car was parked on this massive estate, and she felt uneasy with Alex knowing the truth about her.

"You've got lots here to keep you busy." she reminded him.

"No video games." Dylan reminded her. "Oscar has a lot of fun things to do at his house."

Norma felt a sense of frustration rise up in her. She never intended for Dylan to make friends here. They needed to move on. Stay transient and unattached; always. Still, she was no better. The way she'd carried on with Alex last night had made her feel very attached to this place.

"You're just going to have to hang out here." she sighed. The two of them walking up to the house where the indoor pool was. Norma looking away and feeling her cheeks blush hot. She wondered if Dylan could guess what they'd been up to last night.

"Why?" her son asked.

"I need to do laundry and…" she shook her head. "You'll just hang out here. Got it?" she barked feeling annoyed.

The pair rounded around the ample mud room where she spotted a good sized washing machine and dryer. She hadn't been paying attention to who was in the kitchen because she let out a yelp of unpleasant surprise at seeing the uniformed sheriff's deputy there.

"I work today." Alex said stoically. His expression grim while he poured a cup of coffee for himself. "Coffee's fresh I just made it."

Norma felt her heart still beating rapidly. She'd almost completely forgotten that he was a cop. It had seemed like forever since she'd seen him in his uniform. So much had happened in such a short time. After all she'd admitted to him in the pool last night, after she'd exposed her soul, her history and her body to him, the last thing she wanted was to see the cop part of him. He looked every bit of it to. He even looked meaner with the uniform on and intimidating.

She preferred him with his dirty jeans, threadbare T-shirt and old baseball cap. He'd looked much younger with those clothes; simple and non threatening.

"Oh." she said feeling annoyed that he wouldn't be here today. If anything this was a good thing; not having Alex under foot. Not having to explain to him that she was leaving and why. She and Dylan would be gone by the time he'd be back.

"Your lawyer is coming to see you. He'll be here in about thirty minutes." Alex told her while Norma got her own coffee mug down from the cabinet.

"What?" Norma asked while Dylan fixed himself a bowl of cereal.  
"Your lawyer. Larry White?" Alex asked. "He's coming to see you; to talk about the settlement from the city and how you were discharged too early from the hospital."

He looked angry with her. His eyes no longer dancing and he seemed ready to scowl. She noticed that his features were handsomer when he looked angry.

"I suggest you talk to him about some other things. Things we talked about last night. Before it's too late." he said in a low voice.

Norma glance back at Dylan who had taken his cereal to the kitchen table well away from them.

"I don't need to talk to any lawyer, Alex." she said scathingly and didn't like the fact she was so attracted to him in his police uniform. When had that happened?

Alex was about to argue with her when the doorbell rang.

"I'll give you your car keys back after you talk to him. That way I can at least say I tried." he told her.

"Say you tried?" Norma hissed while Alex turned and left them to answer the door. What did that mean? Was he planning to report her and Dylan? If she didn't go to the authorities, would he?

~ "Larry White." the short, pudgy man with the balding spot on his head said with a good natured smile. He reminded Norma of the character George from _Seinfeld_ , but much more pleasant.

"Nice to meet you." she said uneasily glancing at Alex who was busily securing things to his work belt.

Dylan had finished his cereal and was asking about going to Oscar's house again.

"I'll take you." Alex said absentmindedly. "It's on my way."

"No-" Norma tried to say but her lawyer started talking.

"Now, Miss Deeds." he said seriously. "What happened to you was no small thing."

Norma eyed Alex hatefully as the deputy put a gentle hand on her son's should and guided him out of the kitchen. Neither one of them looked back at her and she was suddenly worried she might never see Dylan again. Was Alex taking him away somewhere? Taking him to state custody so that she could be arrested?

She wanted to stand up and shout at them to come back but found she couldn't move. Her body seemed to be made of stone and all the while, Larry kept talking.

"A client of mine had been discharged too early from the hospital after a surgery involving diverticulitis. The insurance would only pay for so many days. The patient had a ruptured bowel and she died of sepsis shock a few days later. Her family rightfully sued for negligence from the insurance provider to the hospital and won over ten million dollars in a settlement. Now, what happened to you could have been just as bad and you were discharged after just two days from the hospital after drinking contaminated water at the cabins."

Larry White waited for her say something. To nod in affirmation but Norma just looked strait ahead. Not hearing the story about a poor old woman dying horribly of septic shock.

"What I'm saying, Miss Deeds, is that the county is open to throwing money at you to make this problem go away. They've already offered you five thousand dollars and your expenses in the hospital. I say we should try and get much more. Especially since they'll be making a pretty big profit margin off the land that these same cabins were built on."

"We have lawyer client confidentiality, right?" Norma asked. She didn't dislike Larry White, but she made it a habit to distrust people in general.

"Of course." he said. "I can't tell anyone anything unless you're plotting murder or some other kind of crime. Then I'd have tell someone. So don't tell me if you're planning on killing someone."

He'd meant that last part as a joke, Norma was sure of it. But she closed her mouth and felt that cold wanter dread that started in the pit of her stomach and flushed through her entire body.

Arizona had the death penalty. If Sam was indeed arrested and charged with her and Dylan's murder, he would most certainly be executed. Or at the very least, made to serve life in prison. That would be murder on her part. That would be a crime. A crime that would make a greedy small town lawyer like Larry White have to report to the authorities. If only to be featured on the national news.

And if it made it on the news, Alex would be drawn into the fray to. Norma could picture it all now. She could see Larry White with his big balding head and beady, squinting eyes telling the press how she and the missing boy had been living with a sheriff's deputy and how he most likely know about it. Alex would be humiliated around town and fired from his job. Then there were other things from Norma's past the might come up if this made national news. Things that had stayed safely buried for years and years. Things about her parents and her brother. Things she hadn't really thought about since she left home at seventeen and hadn't looked back. Those dark chapters would surely come back and haunt her.

She would be arrested. It might even be Alex who would have to put the handcuffs on her and Dylan really would be thrown into foster care. She'd never see Norman again. Sam would win and she would spend the rest of her life in prison.

All of these images played out in her mind like a horror show. A splashy gossip magazine, made for tv movie, horror show.

"Miss Deeds?" Larry White asked when she had zoned out for a moment.

Norma blinked and she was sitting back in the kitchen again. Perfectly safe and not behind bars.

"Oh… no, I'm fine." she said. "I… was just wanting to know if you knew a good divorce lawyer. I'm sure Alex told you I left my ex and we… we hadn't sorted out custody yet. It's messy."

"I can set you up with my friend who can get you a quickie divorce or if you have grounds, even an annulment." Larry White said happily.

Norma nodded and listened to him drone on and on. She signed whatever papers he gave her knowing she would be leaving tonight with Dylan and not looking back.

~ Alex brought Dylan back around seven that evening along with pizza and a movie he'd rented. He explained there was nothing good on TV anymore and everything was reality shows.

He barely glanced at Norma and the two of them seemed uneasy around each other. She knew he was dying to ask questions about her lawyer's visit, but didn't dare say a word in front of Dylan.

Norma was glad to have them back home. She'd been lonely at the large mansion all day and it reminded her too much of when she had been imprisoned in Sam's gilded cage. She'd done laundry but had plenty of time to wander around the house and grounds. Whoever owned this house liked to entertain, she decided. There was a ballroom and adjacent to that was a very nice bar in the basement that could have fooled anyone into thinking it was a real English pub. The bedrooms were very well decorated by a professional. Nothing amateur about this place. Nothing to suggest that the wife had gone to the local furniture store and picked out a new couch. No, everything looked new and very expensive. The art on the walls, the rugs. Even the heavy bedspreads she wondered how anyone would wash and finally she decided had to be sent out for dry cleaning.

She looked over the servant quarters near the kitchen and mudroom and found what had to be Alex's. His room was small and plain with a nice view of the swimming pool. Norma noticed he wasn't a very neat person. His dirty clothes were on the floor and she quickly made a wash out of them. Old habit would forever die hard.

She had explored the greenhouse which she had wondered about and saw it was fully functional with timed sprinklers. Plants growing liberally and unchecked. She supposed Alex would come and inspect them from time to time, but they were doing fine on their own. Norma had even found a large seven car garage that held a classic Rolls Royce and a very nice SUV.

She wondered who owned such a house. Probably some old couple who was doing the usual tour of the world. All this fancy art work on the walls from around the world was evident of that. She finally spotted a teenage girls room at the very end of one secluded and lonely wing.

It was smaller than even the unoccupied rooms which seemed to be reserved for guests only. Yet, it seemed to be the only room she'd seen so far that looked lived in. It had posters of boy bands and stuffed animals. Its' bedspread wasn't as fancy and Norma smoothed it down and rearranged the stuffed animals better. The mother in her coming out even in this strange girls bedroom.

The girl was a teenager maybe or pre-teen. She had a little painted vanity table with Hollywood lights around it to do her makeup on. Her makeup collection was spartan but high end. Norma, out of curiosity more than anything else, looked through the girls closet and at her clothes.

She was a slim girl and wore name brands as well as the cheap stuff. Norma didn't care for the style now and wouldn't have approved of these clothes, but teenagers were teenagers.

She had felt a little chill run down her spin while looking through this girl's clothes. A whip of cool air. Like a current. She turned and saw it was nothing. Just a boy band poster. She had stepped closer to the poster and looked at the faded wallpaper. Whoever this girl was to the owner of this house, she must have been in this bedroom since babyhood. The wallpaper was old and faded and most defiantly meant for a newborn infant.

Norma could sense an uneasy feeling rush over her and couldn't look away from the wallpaper. A panda bear that had one eye darker than normal. She looked and saw the darkness was hallow. A small hole in the wall that allowed someone on the other side to see into this girl's room.

Horrified, Norma put the girl's dress back into her closet and left the bedroom. She marched down the hall and to the room next door to the girl's room. Fully expecting it be a broom closet where some horrid male staff members enjoyed peeping at young girls. She would tell Alex and he would tell the home owners all about this.

The next door down the hallway was a long way off and Norma was surprised to find it was a large, master suite. The master suite of the home's owners; she was sure of it. It was large and more lived in than the other rooms. It even had fire place in the bedroom.

Norma wandered backwards towards the girl's room, past a large and beautiful bathroom that was built to show off wealth. Past the wife's closet which was full of brightly colored clothes. Finally, she reached the end of the line. The husband's closet. It was the last room and it shared a wall with the girl's room.

Norma pushed aside expensive suites and felt for the peeping hole. It didn't take her long. She felt the larger spy hole and knelt down to look into the girl's room.

She saw, with perfect clarity, the girl's bedroom. She could even see the girl's bathroom when the door was open.

The girl must be the daughter of the home owners, but why was her father peeping at his own daughter like this?

~ After they had eaten dinner and watched the world war 2 movie Alex had rented, Norma showed him the spy hole.

He had looked upset and worried about the direct line of vision into the bedroom into a teenage girl's bedroom.

"You shouldn't have been up here." he said at last.

"Alex, this guy is peeping at his own daughter." Norma spat in irritation. Alex had turned away from her and was exiting the closet, master bathroom and bedroom.

"You shouldn't have been snooping up here. This is the family wing of the house." he said.

"Alex!" she said.

"How do I explain to anyone how I found that?" he said. "That my live in friend who happens to be lying about her who she really is was looking around and discovered it?"

Norma was speechless.

"What did your lawyer say?" he asked instead. "What did he say you should do?"

"I didn't tell him." Norma shook her head.

"Why not?"

"Dylan and I are leaving tonight." she told him quickly.

"Norma." he sighed.

She shrugged.

"There was no point in telling that lawyer anything, Alex. He's a con man." she explained.

"It's not too late. It's not to late to come forward and tell them this was all a misunderstanding. He can help you get Norman back. Legally." Alex sighed.

Norma shook her head. Maybe it was stubbornness that would win out the day, but she wouldn't see Sam Bates go free. Not after all he'd done to her.

"Just, keep all of this to yourself. That's all I ask. So that I have a chance to get Norman back. So that we can have a normal life." she said.

"You think you'll be able to kidnap your own son? That you and your boys can live off of that cash for the rest of your life and hide? Norma, you'll eventually be found. You have to know that." he said calmly.

"I'm sorry." she said finally. "I know what I'm doing and I'm sorry I involved you. You said would give me back my keys."

Alex looked hurt. As if she'd slapped him and he had no defense. But he reached into his pocket and fished out her car keys. They sailed neatly through the air and Norma caught them without trouble.

"You're car is parked next to my SUV on the front drive." he said. "It was nice meeting you, Norma Bates."

Norma focused on her car keys and the cheap, generic key chain while Alex stood up and left.

 **Sorry it took so long to post an update. Been struggling with a bout of depression lately. It comes and it goes.**


	13. Chapter 13

13.

~ Alex was a little annoyed when he saw his clothes neatly washed, sorted and folded on his bed that evening. Such a mysterious phenomenon hadn't occurred since before his mother had died.

It could only mean that Norma had ventured into his bedroom, looked around, saw his clothes on the floor and seen fit to do his laundry without asking or even thinking it would be a rude to invade his privacy like that.

Alex had spent most of his life looking after himself and that included doing his own laundry and clean up. He'd always taken care of himself on his own schedule and it had felt like a sudden intrusion to have her sudden interference. As if a line had been crossed.

Still, his clothes smelled of the expensive fabric softener in the mudroom and she'd even washed his bedding and aired dried them out in the sun so that they felt fresh and good to the touch.

Her neatly folded down bed sheets with it's perfectly smooth bed spread made Alex wonder what her secret was. She was more that just a devotee of Martha Stewart.

He would have a word with her, but then remembered that she would be gone soon. She and Dylan would be driving out of town tonight in fact. Stealing away under the cover of darkness; like criminals.

Alex carefully put away his clean clothes in the dresser, undressed to his underwear, and ripped off Norma's carefully made bed. The sheets making a satisfying snapping sound which probably meant Norma ironed them after letting them dry in the summer sun.

He thought bitterly that it was a nice thing she'd done for him. That no one had ever done anything that nice for him in a long time. Yet, at the same time, it was like a darkness had swept through his mind. A storm sweeping over his thoughts of her and sinking all the happiness he wanted to feel.

It had felt so natural and comfortable having her and Dylan here with him. He'd always had casual relationships of ' _your place not mine_ ' and ' _I've got to be up early tomorrow, so I need to go_ ' excuses to leave after sex with the women he would see. He never thought about having a life like this. Not a life like he was living now. Not with Norma being almost like a wife and Dylan almost like a son.

It was easy to pretend, but that's all it was. Pretending. That's all it would ever be. He could pretend Norma was his. That she belonged to him and they could live forever in this enchanted bubble of eternal summer. Where they would have cook outs by the pool and Dylan wouldn't grow up to be a rebellious teenager, but stay a the wide eyed optimistic kid he was now.

Alex wasn't even opposed to the idea of Norma's other son. Although the name Norman was horribly old fashioned. He could see himself raising two boys with her easily. Two boys would be too much for a single mother to handle after all. That's why she needed him. She would need him to come home with her and make sure they stayed in line and didn't give their mother too much grief.

That's why they would have to be married and living together. He couldn't leave her alone with two unruly boys to raise.

Yes, they wouldn't be afraid of him. Not like he'd always feared his father. But they would respect him. They would respect him because he wouldn't be cruel to their mother and he wouldn't make her cry or make her upset and that would be enough. That would be more than enough to raise boys. Boys were simple after all. If you fed them and kept them on the right path with the right values, they were fine.

It was girls who were complicated. It was always women who were scary.

After a while, if everything went well, Alex would adopt them legally and the boys would take his name. The Romero boys; that's what people in town would call them. They would always ask Alex how his boys were and say how his pretty wife was.

Alex smiled at the idea. At the little fantasy he could allow himself to enjoy. Norma and her sons would be safe with him and he would have a family. A family to go home to from work each night instead of coming home to an empty house.

Maybe… maybe in time they… maybe they might have a baby of their own. Norma would want a girl of course. A girl all in pink who was all for her and then she would be happy.

A girl would make her happy, he knew that. Knew that she would be fulfilled to have a daughter and a good husband.

Alex felt a sudden sensation in his chest that wasn't unpleasant, but was very painful. It was almost like a hunger or a forgotten sense of longing. Like the feeling a kid has for a toy he knows he can't ever have. Something he could have, but doesn't have the courage to ask for.

He shouldn't play this game. Shouldn't idolize a situation or person that could never be perfect. Norma wasn't perfect. She had framed her estranged husband for her own murder. She was devious and no matter what he'd done to her, he didn't deserve what was happening to him now.

Alex wanted to tell himself that. Wanted to believe that, but Norma didn't strike him as the sinister type. Didn't seem the type of woman who lied easily. Alex knew liars. Knew women who lied with every breath they could summon if it meant they could escape any kind of blame. Women who pointed the finger at anyone else but them.

Norma wasn't like that.

She took responsibility for what she'd done. She willingly admitted to the awful nature of her own crime and refused to apologize for it. Refused to back down and blame someone else. She freely admitted that she staged a crime scene that would get Sam Bates the death penalty and that she wanted him dead.

Alex didn't agree with it, but he found himself respecting her tenacity to fight back and her refusal to play the victim.

He was so wrapped up in his own miserable thoughts that he almost didn't hear the knock on his door.

"Yes." he said dryly and wasn't surprised at all to see Norma slip in. Her Garfield T-shirt doing a poor job of covering her back side. Alex didn't mind though. He was starting to like that faded T-shirt on her. It was too big for how slender she was now, but he could see she was comfortable in it.

"Hi." she whispered in the darkness. The pool lights outside his window illuminated the bedroom and he could see her form float across the room and climb into bed with him. Her body feeling good and perfect curling next to him. As if she belonged there.

Alex didn't question it. Was this a dream?

"Hi." he said back and allowed her to pull the covers over the both of them even though the room wasn't cold at all.

"This doesn't mean anything." she told him harshly.

"Okay." he replied with indifference and kept still. It was as though he was waiting to be attacked by an animal and it didn't take long. He felt her slender, warm body shift. Felt her smooth legs wrap around his waist like a spider catching a fly and Alex gulped slightly in discomfort.

"You did my laundry." he accused dryly.

"Yeah." she sighed and he felt the sharp tingle of an erection at the heat coming between her legs.

Her hands took ahold of his and were guiding him. Instructing him to pull off her T-shirt, which he did. Her body, just as beautiful and formidable as it had been in the pool last night was before him. Only now it was a soft and delicate thing.

Her hands were pulling at his again. Having him push her panties down. His willful Andromeda not satisfied with slaying a sea monster, she had to put her Perseus in his place to. Alex liked this thought so much that no sooner were her panties past her bottom, than he gave her a spiteful slap on the buttocks. Just to remind her to play fair.

Norma's eyes lit up and her breath was shaking. His slap to her butt had made a crack in the air that had surprised them both and they let out nervous laughter together. His hands pulling off her patines entirely, as though they were hated things and she was better off nude.

Her hips moved wickedly, snake like, and Alex pulled her closer. His own need for her growing insistent but she wasn't at all ready for him.

"What changed your mind?" he breathed in her ear before rolling her over and pinning her under him. Norma gasped at the contact of his lips on her flesh and she squirmed in a delightful way. Her legs not wanting to spread wide for him and her eyes not wanting to meet his.

His princess suddenly demure and shy; but all the better for it. He could play these games all night. It was terribly exciting that she knew exactly how to entice him. He gently took hold of her legs and guided her to open for him. His lips on hers so that she wouldn't realize she was giving in so easily. She could tell herself she'd put up some kind of resistance like a proper lady, but in the end, she'd given him everything.

His lips were moving down her neck when her hips bucked rebelliously into him. Her eyes blazing like fire and her skin hotter than any summer sun. He was holding her arms down to keep her from scratching his body to pull down his underwear. He wouldn't allow her to have control of him like that. She'd taken so much control already.

"Stop it." he ordered harshly when she bucked savagely against him again. Her body almost animal like and he wondered when was the last time she'd actually been truly inmate with a man and enjoyed it. From the look on her face, it seemed like she needed this more than wanted this.

He pressed his forehead to hers and could feel her labored breathing. Discovered her breath was hot and her chest heaving.

"Baby." he panted slightly as she greedily ground herself against the hardness that was already becoming too distracting for him.

"Alex…" she moaned helplessly. "Please."

"Why should I?" he asked. Her hips seeming to take advantage of him. Even though he wasn't even penetrating her, she seemed to be enjoying herself. He could feel the heat and wetness from her through his underwear and it was causing his thinking to become fuzzy from blood loss.

Only a once had such a thing happened to him. When he'd been in the Marines and fallen helplessly in love with the sister of his friend. A girl who could turn him on like a light switch. Who's sexual chemistry was so attuned with his, that she could just walk into a room and he would grow hard.

Such a mating had resulted in a hasty marriage and an even hastier divorce. An embarrassing thing Alex never spoke of to anyone. He'd never felt such a powerful attraction before or since; till now. Not with his Andromeda; not with this goddess beneath him.

"Why should I?" he asked again. "When all you'll do is leave me?"

"If I stay?" she asked. Her voice pleading. "If I stay you'll… you want me. I know you want me. I see the way you look at me."

Alex couldn't object or protest anymore. Her legs wrapped powerfully around him and her hands were pushing down the last barrier of clothing. His erection was suddenly freed and belonged to her.

"Norma." he said while her hands, strong and capable, gave him a few satisfactory strokes of approval. Her eyes lit up in excitement.

Disgusted with himself. Angry that his body had overruled his better judgement and that he refused to let a beautiful woman go to waste, Alex reached over her to the nightstand and grabbed his wallet.

Norma looked at him innocently as he pulled free the condom and slipped it on. He'd never been foolish enough to not use protection and never would be. He'd been with enough women to not believe them when they swore they were on the pill or some other nonsense. He'd learned long ago to have trust issues.

Norma said nothing, her expression only accepting the facts of the situation. Her body still poised and ready for him when he slowly and maliciously penetrated her. His focus on her expression as he did so. Daring her to cry out in pain or pleasure.

She gasped slightly and adjusted herself. Her body taking his length and width and he marveled as he always did, seeing himself go inside.

She let out a feral groan of discomfort or joy when he pushed himself in to the hilt.

"Enough?" he whispered and she nodded. He moved slowly out. Respecting her limits and reminding himself he wanted so badly to love her.

She was warm and tight and seemed to hug him perfectly. Like a wet satin glove and he had to remember to breathe to keep from passing out.

Then he couldn't help what happened next. Her inner walls had become slippery and his hips moved without thought. They moved together and she cried and moaned and screamed at him. Her body a riot of fire that he thought would burn him alive.

He knew she came before he did. The way she tensed up and clawed at him and at the sheets she'd so carefully washed. Such a waste.

It seemed almost a punishment that he had to keep going in her when her body was spent after her orgasam. But he didn't make these rules. She looked so relaxed and happy as he moved in and out of her. Her breasts rocking with each thrust and he was jealous that she'd climaxed so easily.

"Next time, we'd doing more foreplay." he breathed before he felt himself slip and fall into his own orgasam.

His body tensing up as he came.

Then, everything seemed so peaceful. Quite and calm. Norma was just Norma again and he was Alex. No more tension and they felt free and relaxed. Although it took him a minute to get his breathing under control.

"I should get back." she whispered and moved away from him. "Dylan might wake up. I don't want him to come to the house looking for me."

"No." Alex said feeling very sleepy all the sudden. Why was it after sex he always felt sleepy? "No, stay."

"I need to go." she said and moved off the bed. Her body looking splendid in the light as she found her discarded panties and slipped them on again. Alex had to appreciate the way she looked with no top on, but naturally, she had to spoil it by pulling on her Garfield T-shirt. A shirt he was growing to hate.

"I'll see you in the morning?" Alex asked weakly.

"Goodnight." Norma said passing out of the light, into the shadows and out the door.


	14. Chapter 14

14.

~ Alex woke up to the smells of bacon frying the next morning. The aroma wafting from the kitchen into his small bedroom, was enough to rouse him out of a heavy sleep and remember what had happened.

Norma had come to see him las night. She's slipped into his bed and away again like a ghost and he had to reassure himself it wasn't just a dream. It wasn't a dream at all. They'd left evidence of their dalliance behind and his body felt heavy and sedated.

No, it had happened. It had been real. Now she was cooking breakfast in the kitchen and Alex wasn't sure what to do. Normally, with his casual sexual relationships, he was long gone before morning ever came. He hardly ever stayed the night, or if he did, he snuck away as soon as dawn broke and his companion for the night was still sleeping.

How would he act now? Now that Norma and probably Dylan were sitting down to breakfast?

Alex quickly showered and dressed for work. He felt as nervous as if he were getting dressed for prom night, and yet, when he walked into the kitchen, it was to see Norma and Dylan there; like normal.

She was dressed in the same blue summer dress she wore when he first met her. A color that complimented her beautifully and Dylan was explaining to his mother the importance of some video game now that his breakfast was done.

"Morning." Alex said smelling the eggs and other enriching foods in the kitchen. Norma smiled at him warmly and began fixing him a plate.

"Mom cooked." Dylan explained. "She hadn't cooked since we got here. I missed her cooking."

The child looked relived that he had good food again and not just cold cereal.  
"Your mom's been sick." Alex told Dylan calmly. "It's hard to do things when you're sick."

"She makes good French toast. She makes it every Saturday." Dylan said.

"Too bad today isn't Saturday." Alex said as he sat down next to Dylan. Norma had laid out a place for him and asked if he wanted juice or coffee.

"Coffee." he said while they avoided looking at each other.

He wasn't expecting the plate load of eggs, bacon, homemade biscuits and fried hash browns she sat down before him. Alex had always been a light eater. He never had a weight problem and had always been trim. Did she honestly think he could eat this much in one sitting?

"Wow." he said looking at the impressive meal while Dylan took his plate to the sink. His mother having trained him to rinse all plates off after eating.

"Yeah?" Norma asked nervously looking back. She'd already cleared away most of mess she'd made from cooking and seemed to only want coffee herself.

"Looks great." he admitted. "It's a lot."

"Yeah, well, you're a big guy." she said in an anxious voice.

Alex glanced at Dylan who seemed not to have noticed the comment.

Norma closed her eyes and shook her head. Catching the inside joke far too late.  
"I mean, big and… tallish, never mind. Just eat. It's going to get cold and it's not going to be a good cold."

Alex nodded and did as she beckoned. He was hungry after all, but it felt awkward with Norma standing just a few feet away and watching him. Added to that, Dylan didn't seem that eager to leave.

The three of them politely exchanging small talk about their plans for today and Alex trying in vain to catch Norma's attention, but she kept looking away from him.

Finally, all too soon, his meal was over and he felt ready for a nap. Norma had cleaned up the kitchen, all except Alex's plate and quickly swiped it away and into the dishwasher.

"Mom?" Dylan asked. "Can I go play at Oscar's house again?"

"No." Norma shook her head and refused to look at Alex.

"Why not?"

"Because… I need you here." she tried to explain.

Alex could feel it then. Feel that Norma was preparing to leave. She wanted Dylan here so they could leave. She'd made him a good breakfast and slept with him only as a thank you for all he'd done for her; nothing more. She was leaving him and she would probably refuse to even say goodbye.

"Mom, I want to go to Oscar's. It's boring here. There's nothing to do." Dylan said angrily.

"I said no." Norma told him sternly and Alex had to bite his tongue to keep from saying something. He had no place in this. No matter how he felt. Dylan wasn't his son and Norma wasn't his wife. They were just house guests and soon, they wouldn't even be that.

"I want you to go back to the cottage and wait for me, I'll be there in a second." Norma instructed him finally.

Dylan looked mutinous but pushed himself away from the table and left them. Norma looked ready to follow him when Alex gently grabbed her arm.

"Come here." he whispered pulling her towards him.

It was easier than any movement he could have planned or rehearsed. No stumbling of feet or protesting cries. Norma stepped backwards into his arms looking guilty and apologetic.

"I'm not sorry about what happened last night." Alex said once she finally gained the courage to look at him.  
"Okay." she breathed. Her eyes growing wide. "Me either."

He wasn't sure if he dared it. Wasn't sure if she wanted him to, but the more he leaned in, the heavier her breathing got. Their lips meeting, gentle at first, and then remembering that heated exchange that consumed them last night. That passion that had caused them to lose their senses and forget themselves for a while.

His hands moved down her arms and to her waist and he could feel how perfectly she moved with him. How easy it would be to surrender and go back to his bedroom again. He could be late for work. It would be worth it. He didn't want to let her go. Not with her hair smelling of the clean, soapy shampoo and the feel of her lips against his. His body angrily awoke and wanted its' own feeding that was different from normal food.

Norma pulled away from him. Her body language becoming tense and withdrawn.  
"I can't." she said painfully. "It's… too much." she tried to explain.

"Okay." Alex whispered easily. He didn't want to rush her but at the same time he still needed her. Still wanted her in a way he'd never wanted any woman.

"I'm sorry." she said softly seeing the disappointment in his face.

"It's… it's fine." he lied. His mind wishing for her to change her mind.

The pair stayed in each other's arms then. Seemingly afraid to move forward or separate because they knew what that would mean. It would mean forever. It would mean she would leave him and she would be gone. Forever. Quite possibly, he would hear about her arrest in a few months on the news.

The ticking of the kitchen clock seemed louder than normal. He'd never heard the crushing effects of time until now. When he wished time would stand still, and he could just stay here with her forever.

But she moved away from him. Moved out of his arms and there was nothing but cold air in her wake. He could feel his body ache at her sudden loss. As if a drug withdrawal had happened and he couldn't stand to watch her leave.

~ Alex's work day had started simply enough. He'd left the large house and checked into the Sheriff's station. He'd gone on a few calls, pulled over a few speeding motorists. Came back into town for lunch although he wasn't hungry. Breakfast had him too full.

No sooner had he come back into the station than the front desk clerk nodded for him.  
"Romero, phone call for you. I was just about to radio you. Some woman. She wouldn't give her name." he said.

Alex looked around at the chuckles that emanated through the room.

"Line four." the front desk clerk said and Alex found an empty desk, well out of ear shot of the other deputies.

"Romero." Alex said curtly when he picked up the line. He could imagine all the teasing he would get about this mysterious woman calling him. Besides, he already knew who it was.

"Alex!" Norma cried. "Dylan ran away!"

"What?" he asked sitting down. "He looked around to make sure the other deputies were minding their own business before he spoke in a lower voice.

"Dylan ran away!" she cried again. "I was packing up the car and I told him we were leaving and we had this big fight. He's not anywhere! Alex, I can't call the police. I have to find him!"

"Where are you?" Alex said calmly. "Are you still at the house?"

"No!" Norma wailed. "No! I'm by some place near highway… the sight says highway 88. Alex, he was so upset! I don't know what to do! I stopped to get gas and he jumped out of the car and ran off. What do I do?"

Alex knew exactly where she was talking about. The gas station about two miles from the rancid old motel the Keith Summers still ran. The Summer's old house stood lonely and neglected up on the hill.

Gossip in town was that he'd mortgaged his grandfather's house up to his eyeballs and it would be repossessed soon; motel and all. Not that the bank would want it. Alex's opinion was the whole property was a money pit.

"Go back to the house. I'll pick him up." he ordered stoically. He was aware he sounded like his father when he spoke just now. A trait he didn't like about himself.  
"Alex." Norma cried.  
"Go back to the house. I'll pick him up. I'll bring him home." he said and hung up.

~ Keith Summers was sleeping at the front desk when Romero pulled in. The deputy could smell the decay of papers stacked tightly together in the back office. Alex had remembered when this place had been reasonably well maintained.

It had been mostly for summer people. Families who vacationed here and didn't mind a bare bones motel room. Now, a wooden framed motel bungalow where sound carried through the old pipes and traffic never stopped on the highway, wouldn't do for the average traveler.

Keith Summers rented rooms out regularly to people who weren't here to vacation. Alex had lost count of how many calls they'd received to the Sea Fairer Motel over the past few years now. Drugs, violence and all the other unsavory things that came with a man like him over seeing the place.

Alex had grown up with Keith and his sister Maggie. Gotten into trouble with them and all the other kids around town.

Then, as was the way of adults, Keith and Alex changed. Alex didn't like what Keith Summers had become. He was too much like his abusive father who'd died in prison. Maggie was too much like their mother who'd been killed by him.

No, Alex didn't like Keith because he'd become is father. He'd become the town drunk, the town bully and regularly threatened women and children at the nearby gas station. It had worried Alex that Keith liked to brandish handcuffs and claim he was good friends with the cops here in town. It made the people he threatened scared to call for help.

More than once he'd broken into people's homes, too drunk and belligerent to even know where he was. His sister Maggie always bailed him out.

Alex didn't like the idea that Dylan might have wandered into Keith Summers path. Didn't like the idea that anyone would cross paths with that man. He would prefer it if a giant sink hole would swallow this entire motel up with him in it. A lot of people would be very happy if he were gone.

"Alex!" Keith said smiling with half rotten teeth. Keith was Alex's age but looked older. Poor hygiene, diet and drinking too much had made Keith fat, graying and disheveled looking. "What brings you here?"

Alex could smell Keith's breath from here. Smell that foul body odor of a man who hadn't changed his clothes in a few days.

Romero nodded at him and didn't smile.

"I had a parent call up at the station." Alex said in a calm official voice that let Keith know he wasn't here to catch up on old times. "Seems a ten year old boy went missing from a gas station. Have you seen him?"

"Naw." Keith laughed.

Alex believed him. Keith was a terrible liar even in the best of times. He also couldn't be roused to chase after Dylan without reason.

"Mind if I look around?" Alex asked.

"Just don't bother my guests unless you got a warrant, deputy." Keith said angrily and pulled out a battered porno magazine.

Alex backed away from him. Something telling him not to take his eyes off of Keith Summers. He knew it had been smart not to mention the boy's mother. Not to involve the very idea of Norma to Keith Summers. He didn't want her in this world at all.

The Sea Fairer Motel was half motel, half junk yard these days. Keith kept a few rotten junked cars and trucks out back including a gutted out 1957 Ford 300 sedan*. It had once been blue and white, but the elements were grinding it back into the ground and soon it would be nothing.

Alex winced at the disgrace of letting such a beauty go to seed. It was far beyond saving and who knows why Keith had it, except to watch it die.

Alex wasn't at all surprised to find Dylan in the junk plies where Keith Summers kept old tires and ratted, useless motel furniture.

"Hey." he said surprising the boy who was tossing rocks at a rusty car door.

Dylan jumped and turned around. He'd clearly been crying, but looked away at seeing Romero there in uniform.

"Your mother called me." Alex explained gently.

"You're gonna have to arrest me." Dylan said angrily. "Because I'm not going back to her. I'm staying here. She's a liar. She's lying to you."

"Yeah. I know, Dylan." Alex admitted.

The child turned in alarm at hearing his real name.

Alex nodded.

"I've known for a few days now." he said. Romero looked at the horrid junk yard Keith Summers had accumulated over the years. Trash bags filled with who knew what. Rusted washing machines, and an old refrigerator.

Norma would hate this place. The house looked weathered and almost pretty sitting up on it's lonely hill, but not the least bit homey. Not the kind of place Alex wanted to be.

"We should go. We can't stay here." Alex said.

"I'm not going back. Mom wants to take me away again. I won't go!" Dylan cried. "I like it here with you. I like Oscar and we're already making plans to sit together at lunch in school. We're gonna be best friends and we're gonna met his other friend Ryan when he get back from summer camp. He says we can have sleep overs in the woods near his house and everything and Ryan's dad has a boat-"

Alex put up his hands and tried not to smile. It was so easy and yet so hard to be a kid sometimes.

"Okay. We are not going to see your mom right away." he promised.

~ Alex had called Norma on his cell phone to tell her Dylan was safe and that the two of them were going out for ice cream.

"We'll be home soon." he promised.

"Soon?" Norma cried. "No, he's in big trouble. He shouted at me and ran off. I was worried sick, Alex!"

"Norma, I want you to calm down." Alex said taking a deep breath. Dylan had ordered a large ice cream cone and was watching in awe as the lady behind the counter made it for him.

"Calm down?" she cried.

"Yes. This whole situation is upsetting for him." Alex whispered into the phone. "He's a kid remember. He's already made friends. We'll be home soon, I'm going to fill his head with gruesome stories of what happens to kids who run away from home and no one is going to fight or yell or scream." he ordered.

Norma was quite on the other end.  
"Fine." she said at last. her voice slightly petulant. "I'll start dinner. It's a summer stew so take your time. Make the stories really gruesome. I want him to have nightmares."

"Alright." Alex agreed feeling like he'd achieved a small but major victory.

~ "You know you can't run away like that." Alex told Dylan once the two of them were settled outside. They were away from the tourists and anyone who could hear them.

Dylan seemed relaxed and happy. Content to have Romero with him.

"Anything could have happened to you. Bad men and women take kids just like you all the time and hurt them. Kill them. You know that. Sometimes we find the bodies, sometimes we never find them at all." Alex said feeling sick he had to tell a child this.

"My step-dad used to tell my mom he would kill her and no one would ever find her body." Dylan said nonchalantly. He nibbled his ice-cream and looked sad.

"Sam Bates?" Alex asked and Dylan nodded. "What else did he say to her?"

"That she was a bad mother. Told her to shut up all the time. Me and Norman used to hide. We would hide when he came home and mom would cry a lot." Dylan explained.

"You ever see your step-dad hit your mom?" Alex asked and Dylan nodded quickly.

"She usually got hit everyday. It was normal. Once, he hit her so hard she fell back in the kitchen and cut her arm. There was blood. A lot of it. It was scary and she was crying because we were in the kitchen when it happened. Then one time… I was really little and I tried to stop him and he hit me really hard and mom pushed him and he punched her so hard she cried. Then he locked her in her bedroom for days and wouldn't let her out. Wouldn't feed me either. Norman was at his grandma's house and it was like I was all alone. I would bring her crackers and slip them under her door so she wouldn't starve. I thought he wouldn't come back for us but he did."

Dylan explained all this and shuttered slightly. His face becoming sad and his ice-cream forgotten.

"I'm glad we left that place, but I want to stay in this place." Dylan admitted.

"Why?" Alex asked.

"Mom isn't scared anymore. She smiles now. She talks more. She never talked before. Not ever. I'd almost forgotten what she sounded like. I like it at the cottage. We can stay there and I can help you with the big house and the lawn. Mom can help to. We can pick up Norman to. Mom said so. I don't want to leave." Dylan said pitifully.

 *** 1957 Ford 300 sedan. What Janet Leigh drove in 'Psycho' movie. Also Alex's car Lucy in "That Same Color Blue"**

 **I forgot to say thank you for all the warm feedback I've been receiving lately about my depression. It's one of those things that gets better when we talk about it because so many of us share in the struggles. It's never good to feel alone. It's why I write the way I do. I always try to write stories that encourage a happier life. A happier ending even if it started out sad.**


	15. Chapter 15

15.

~ Norma tried to remind herself to stay calm when she heard the front doors to the massive house open and close. Sounds seemed to echo here in this large, lonely house. The foyer's floors were all marble, seeming to amplify the sounds from wherever you were. She much prefer the cottage with it's smaller rooms and where nothing could be hiding in unseen corners. This house was far too spooky.

At first, she'd been upset by Alex telling her to calm down and to just wait for them. Instructing her that there would be no yelling and to allow him to take care of things. He'd even said he was taking Dylan out for ice cream as though to praise him instead of punishing him for running away. She'd been so angry she was shaking when she talked to Alex.

Alex didn't understand how scared she'd been when Dylan had bolted out of the parking lot. How upsetting it was to have a fight with her ten year old son about leaving a place she knew he'd grown to love in such a short amount of time. She couldn't call the police and tell them he'd run off. What if a strange caught him and Dylan told them things? Things he wasn't supposed to say? Things about who they really were? Or worse, what if a child predator picked him up and she lost her son forever. Dylan had raced into the woods so fast she couldn't even give chase and made her feel just as helpless as she felt back in Arizona.

She hated having to call Alex and admit that she needed his help again. That she needed him and wasn't as brave and fearless as she believed herself to be.

At the same time, it was nice to have him come to her rescue. To have someone else take over. To share the burden of what she had to deal with and spare her from the sordid details of it. It was nice to have someone to call at all. Back in Arizona, she never had anyone she could call for help. When things were scary, she had to keep everything inside and let it all fester like a cancer.

Sam had never helped her with Norman or Dylan. He just created more problems and Norma was hesitant to allow Alex to attempt to parent her child. After all, they hardly knew each other.

Before she could allow her frustrations to really simmer anymore however, Dylan appeared in the kitchen with Alex behind him. Both of them looking wide eyed at the large kitchen knife in her hand. She'd been cutting vegetables for dinner when they arrived home.

Dylan looked hot, sweaty, dirty and tired. He smelled like he'd been rooting around a junk yard and Norma didn't ask, or even want to know, where Alex had found him.

"Go take a bath. Come right back here. Dinner is almost ready." she instructed her son harshly. She tossed the kitchen knife in the sink with a clatter and opened the lid of a simmering pot. She'd been making a soup for them and cooking was always her relief for anxiety.

Dylan said nothing, but looked at Alex who nodded.

As soon as Dylan has vanished into the mudroom, Alex spoke.

"He's fine. I found him-"

"I don't want to know." Norma snapped and let out a frustrated sigh. "I'm sorry, but you have no idea how upsetting that was. Seeing your child run away like that. He was so angry and upset. He's never been like that before. Never."

"Yes. I'm sure it was upsetting." Alex nodded. "I talked to him about it. Running away from your problems isn't the answer."

She glared at him knowingly. Why was he always making these things about her?

"Maybe you should stay another night." he offered and sat down on a bar stool across from her. he nodded to the large cook pot that was simmering on the stove. A combination she'd just thrown together in anger but was still good. She could do no wrong when it came to cooking. It had always been her natural talent. "Dinner smells good."

"I'm making enough to feed you for a week." she said spitefully. She couldn't help the edge to her tone. She wanted to be angry with the world right now and she wasn't even sure why. Dylan was home, wasn't he? No real damage was done.

"Thank you." Alex said carefully. His eyes looking over her as if calculating if she would attack or not.

"Look," Norma said collecting spices and checking the labels. She'd made a trip to the small grocery store for provisions after Alex had found Dylan. "I know you want me to stay. Every day I stay, it makes it that much harder to go."

"That's the idea." Alex said softly.

Norma sat the ginger spice down with a hard clack that almost broke the jar.

"I'm saying, it wouldn't be the worst thing if you and… I mean, you could stay here. Your lawyer could make arrangements for you to come clean about Sam. We could talk to him-" he said.

"And tell him what?" Norma accused.

"That you left your husband. That you took your son and you hadn't any idea the Arizona police would think you were dead." Alex said quickly.

"I've been living under an assumed name since I've been here." she whispered.

"You can explain you were hiding from an abusive husband. There's evidence Sam abused you and the boys." Alex told her hopefully. "All those ER visits. Dylan's broken arm. Plus, his behavior was all self incriminating. The belated missing persons reports, suspicious behavior, It's nothing you did other than just leave."

"If I come forward, Sam won't go to prison." Norma said harshly.

Alex's expression turned cold.

"Not to mention the fact you'll get dragged into this. I don't want that." she added. "I don't want you to be humiliated because of me. Just because you're trying to protect me. People in town will talk."

"I've lived through worse." he told her. "I understand why you had to get away. Dylan told me a little about what Sam did to you."

Norma leaned away from him; a feeling of betrayal sweeping through her. Dylan had talked to Alex about this? About Sam and what went on in that house? Dylan knew never to talk about what happened at home. It had always been engrained in him that they didn't talk about their life in that house. Dylan knew their life wasn't normal. That their world wasn't like other kids he knew. He knew never to tell anyone about it. That they wouldn't understand and would make fun of him.

Alex seemed to read her mind.  
"He knows I know. I told him. Look, I get it. I don't blame you for wanting Sam to go to prison forever. I would have killed him if it had been me." he said gently.

"It never would have stopped, Alex." she told him. "He has to pay for what he did. Its' like he took my life."

"And now you'll have a new one, but you can't live it like this. You can't get Norman back as Vicki Deeds." he told her. "We have to do this the right way."

Norma refused to look at him. Deep down, she knew he was right, but refused to admit it.

He didn't understand. She didn't want to be Norma Bates anymore. Norma Bates was a woman who was abused. Norma Bates allowed her children to be hurt and neglected. Norma Bates didn't deserve a fresh start. Norma Bates was dead. She'd happily killed Norma Bates back in Arizona and Alex Romero didn't even know who Norma Bates was.

"I… the police, the newspapers…" she said weakly. "I left my ID and my car behind."

"You left in a hurry. You were fearing for you life. You had some cash you hid to escape and you came here." Alex finished for her. "We'll tell Larry White all this and he can advise you to go from there. As long as we play this as a big misunderstanding, you'll come out fine. He can help you file for divorce and gain custody of Norman."

Norma could feel her heart beating fast. She shook her head.

"Nothing bad has happened yet." he promised her.

"Yes, it has." she told him weakly. "I checked the computer in the office upstairs while you were having ice cream with Dylan. Sam was arrested yesterday for two counts of murder."

~ They barely spoke over dinner. Alex had pleaded his case and Norma had refused it.

He'd gone up to Nick Ford's office and read the articles about Sam Bates' arrest in Arizona. Norma's estranged husband seemed to have troubles of more than just a simple murder charge. Sam should have already made bail, but there was an addendum to the article about his holdings being frozen while forensic accountants come in. Alex knew that was code for checking for bank fraud, and if Sam didn't go to prison for murder, he might go down for insider trading, embezzlement or something else to do with money.

That was at least a comforting thought. If investigators couldn't make a case against him for murder, which was always hard, they might take an easier conviction that would also mean plenty of prison time. It was almost impossible to prove a murder without a body. Maybe Norma could get her pound of flesh after all.

After dinner, Alex helped her clean up the kitchen and they barely spoke to each other.

"Are you going to stay in the cottage tonight?" he asked in a low voice. Dylan was watching a movie in the next room. Neither one of them had brought up his running away. Alex had promised he'd scared Dylan properly with horror stories that were all true, on the condition that the subject was wholly dropped. Dylan had seemed remorseful and sorry that he'd scared Norma by his antics. Alex hadn't wanted any arguing or anyone being mad at dinner. He'd had enough of yelling in his own childhood to last a lifetime and wanted none of it now.

"Are you asking if I plan to come see you again?" she rolled her eyes at him. Her cheeks going slightly pink and he wondered if it would be too forward to put a hand on the small of her back.

They'd been careful not to show any affect towards each other in front of Dylan. They didn't want to confuse him anymore already.

"Yes." he said plainly. He didn't believe in playing hard to get. He wanted her to come and stay with him tonight and was truthful about it.

She didn't answer.

"We don't have to talk. I know you're sick of talking." he promised.

This invoked a smile from her but she wouldn't give him a promise of even staying the night on the property, let alone with him.

~ It was well past midnight when Norma slipped out of the cottage and crept into the main house. Alex had left the back doors unlocked and she felt like a guilty thief stalking around a stranger's house in the middle of the night.

 _'_ _You're not sneaking into his room just to get laid.'_ she lied to herself. She didn't knock when she arrived at Alex's room. Simply opened and closed the door behind her, moved into and out of the shadows and into his bed where he'd waited up for her.

Alex had been half asleep and roused just long enough to mention he was worried she wouldn't make it.

"I wasn't sure if I would come." she said and nestled into his chest. "Today was so…"

"I know." he said.

It felt good to have this human contact. This simple feeling of his physical comfort next to her.

"I don't know what to do." she admitted sadly. "I used to. I used to know exactly what to do. Now, its' like all my plans have been shot to hell."

She folded her arms up protectively over her breasts. As if she wanted to push Alex away at the same time she needed him to comfort her.

"What if they throw me in prison? I could lose everything. Everything I was trying so hard to protect. What if they catch me a year from now? What if Dylan runs away again and tells people who we are?" she asked.

She didn't expect Alex to answer and he didn't. He allowed her to vent her fears in the comfort of each others embrace. The stillness and safety of their bubble made the outside world seem very dangerous once it's borders were crossed. Once the bubble was gone, she would be vulnerable.

"I can't go back to Arizona, Alex. I can't. I'll die there. Sam was killing me. He was killing me everyday; little by little. If he didn't kill me with his bare hands, he was going to kill me with his words. Sam used to tell me how worthless I was. How I was fat and ugly and how no one wanted me." she said bitterly. Her husband's horrible words still stinging in her mind. Still causing her pain even after all the miles she'd put between them.  
"I want you." Alex said finally.

She huffed out a laugh and rolled her eyes.

"We hardly know each other." she told him.

"W want to to know you." Alex said in the dimness. His breath falling over her hair. "It's why I want the real you. I want Norma Bates; not Vicki Deeds. I want Norma Bates to call up her lawyer and explain what happened. How she left her abusive husband and came here and how she's alive. I she does all that, she can go on with her life. Then, she can work on getting Norman back. No-one has to be afraid anymore. No one has to live in fear."

"You won't like Norma Bates." she said softly. "Norma Bates is awful. She just let her children get hurt. She was afraid of her husband, afraid to leave him, afraid he would leave her. She let him bully her and her kids. She let him hurt them everyday. She was and awful coward and a weakling."

She felt sick remembering how she was before she'd finally shed her old life. When she took back her life and broke free.

"Doesn't sound like the woman I know." Alex told her plainly. "The woman I know isn't at all like that. You must have her confused with someone else."

He'd meant it as a joke but Norma didn't laugh. What he said felt like a curse had been lifted. Although they were just words, nothing more powerful than that, Norma started to sob at the idea she could finally be safe and free. That she'd freed herself from the ugly person she had once hated in herself. No more pretending and worrying about hiding the truth. It seemed so easy to make this happen. She didn't have to hate herself anymore and she didn't have to hide under another name.

She started to cry then and Alex was soothing her. Kissing her as she sobbed in relief and frustration. He didn't make love to her that night, her crying exhausting her too much for that but when she woke up the next morning, she felt more like herself and ready to make the right decision.


	16. Chapter 16

16.

~ Larry White looked between Norma Bates and Deputy Romero as if they were pulling a prank on him.

"I know, how it sounds." Romero said carefully.

"It sounds crazy." Larry snapped.

"It's true." Norma told him. "I've been lying about my name. Norma Bates is my real name and we just found out the Arizona police think my husband murdered me."

"Why did you lie about your name?" Larry asked slowly. Irritation rising in his own voice.

"To hide." Norma said meekly. "My sons and I were being abused. I had gotten away and if Sam knew where I was, then… well, then he might come hurt me again."

Larry looked upset.

"When you were in the hospital… you… I mean, how did that work?" he asked. "You were registered under the name Vicki Deeds. The city knows you as the plaintiff: Vicki Deeds.

"She was brought into the emergency room." Romero explained easily. "They didn't ask for ID. That was the name she had given me."

Larry's face turned red.

"Fine." he said bitterly. "Well, the best strategy right now is to confirm that Sam Bates has actually been arrested for your murder and that your story is real. For all I know you might be a crazy person."

"I'm not a crazy person." Norma said. "I also have a son named Norman who is with Sam's mother Rose. I want to get him back and divorce Sam."

"Yes, this is the divorce we talked abut." Larry asked and nodded to Alex. "I'm assuming you ran to White Pine Bay to be with Deputy Romero here."

Norma looked at her lawyer in horror and Alex's brows lifted in surprise.  
"What? No! I just met Alex. I never knew him before-" she argued.

"Just alert the Arizona police that Norma Bates is still alive. We can fax a positive ID for finger prints and she can give a statement to their detectives from our station." Alex interrupted. Effectively putting a stop to any insinuation Larry was making.

"She'll need to go back to Arizona. The boy to." Larry told them.

Alex nodded and Norma felt queasy.

"What if they arrest me?" she asked.

"For what?" Larry asked. "You haven't broken any laws other than inconveniencing your husband. You told me the child you fled with wasn't his biological son and it's not a crime to leave your husband. You also made sure your other child was left in the custody of his grandmother before you came here. No crime has been committed."

"Yes." Norma said weakly and looked at Alex who nodded at her.

"Assuming everything you told me is true, we can clear this up with a few phone calls. Then we can start the divorce proceedings, custody arrangements and all that." Larry sighed.

~ Norma and Dylan were summoned, along with Alex to speak to the White Pine Bay County Sheriff. A large man named Sheriff Wayne.

"Seems you're proclamation has caused a bit of a stir, Mrs. Bates." Sheriff Wayne told her while another deputy fingerprinted her and Dylan. They promised all they would do was take finger prints, pictures, and a written statement to confirm their identities.

Norma looked worriedly back at Alex. It felt like she was about to be thrown in jail for her deception. She'd never been able to trust the police back in Arizona and walking into the Sheriff's station, made her feel like she was walking into a trap. One false move, one out of place sentence, and she would go to prison.

"We're going to have you write out your statement, don't spare any details, and then we'll send it to the Arizona police. If your prints match, along with your son's prints, you might get a visit from one of their detectives.

"Will I be arrested?" she asked nervously.

"There's no law against leaving your husband. I'm told Dylan isn't Sam Bates' child. So, no. You won't be arrested." the Sheriff said kindly. "Believe it or not, Mrs. Bates, the police are your friends. I know you feel like you weren't protected back in Arizona but that's all going to change now. I've spoken to the lead detectives and they didn't believe me when I said you might be alive. Seems there was a lot of blood in the house. Kitchen and bathroom, they said. I told them you were an abused woman and it wasn't uncommon to have blood in a home over the years."

Norma nodded. She'd forgotten about the time Sam had cut her with a knife in front of Dylan and she'd bled for a little while in the kitchen. She'd cleaned up the mess like always but the detectives must have found traces of it. She had to think back to all the times Sam had hurt her over the years. The house ripe with evidence of her abuse.

"It didn't help that Sam Bates was ripping up the carpet in the bedroom, and had it tossed out right after you vanished." The Sheriff went on. "Anyone who does sudden home improvements right after a spouse goes missing is guilty as sin."

Norma had to smile at that. Sam had truly shot himself in the foot there. He couldn't have looked more guilty if he'd tried. Waiting two days to report her disappearance, ripping up the carpets of a potential crime scene? Not telling police about Dylan's broken arm or any important information? No wonder they didn't wait to arrest him.

~ Norma wrote her statement while Alex stayed with Dylan in another room. She described the abuse and buying a car in cash. How she'd had to leave without Norman after Rose took him. How, in a panic, she'd left her pocketbook behind with her ID and was afraid to go back and get it.

How she had changed her hair color in case Sam came looking for her. How she'd told people her name was Vicki Deeds because she was afraid Sam might try to find her. That she hadn't planned on staying in White Pine Bay, but her sudden illness had changed all that and she was sorry she'd lied about her real name.

She wrote, pretending she was her old and scared self again. The ghost of who she used to be fading and dying on the page. If they believed this lie, she might just get away with it. They already looked at her with a certain amount of pity.

Not the normal pity she was used to before. Back when Sam hit her and the police refused to look at her. When she came into the Sheriff's station in her blue summer dress with Dylan's small hand clasped in hers; Alex's strong hand on the small of her back, people looked at her in awe.

Their eyes followed her as though she were some kind of celebrity in their midsts. She'd been thankful Alex was there. That he'd never left her side unless forced to and was quick to introduce Norma to everyone in the office. He'd seemed to take the fear away when he did that. The intimidating cops in uniform becoming nothing more that a bunch of guys he'd grown up with who liked to fish, were terrible at bowling and who's wives thought she'd been very brave to leave her husband.

The whole process had taken a few hours and Norma again felt like she'd just played a role. Saying well rehearsed lines that no longer held any power behind them when she spoke to detectives in Arizona over the phone.

When she'd asked about Norman, they had very little to say, except she'd better start the paperwork for custody now.

~ It was like she'd committed a crime, and when Alex took her and Dylan back to the house, she was afraid the police might come after them; sirens blaring and lights flashing.

But nothing happened for a few days. Not a whisper online about Sam Bates' sudden exoneration, and no one called or came to see her for almost a week.

Finally, just as she was thinking it had all been a dream, Larry called and told her the charge of murder would be dropped, but Sam Bates would stay in prison anyway.

"Seems he's been fleecing his customers for a few years now." Larry said. "They were investigating suspicious banking activity in relation to your disappearance and found it."

"I… I was told about, blood in the house." Norma said weakly. "They found my blood in the house. Sam tore up carpeting and everything."

"Yeah, that's true. They did. They got warrants to search the house." Larry told him. "It had been cleaned up in the bathroom and in the kitchen. Old blood mostly. Since you're alive and the police there were satisfied with your finger prints and handwriting analysis, Sam is off the hook for murder. So I guess blood doesn't matter. They chalked it up to all the domestic abuse. While searching through his banking records, they found a lot of money missing. Around three million. Sam Bates is going to take a plea deal. He's going to serve ten years in a minimal security prison."

"My son? Norman?" she asked hopefully.

"More good news!" Larry said happily. "All the stress from the trial had sent Sam's mother into poor health. She is unable to care for him so the state needs you to come and collect your son. He's in a foster care home right now. They'll do a DNA test and want to see your ID, so you better pick it up from evidence. Arizona police might want to fingerprint you again, but… its'; over, Norma."

 **Arizona Star**

 **August 31st, 2001**

 **Missing Bates woman and son found alive in Oregon. Claiming to have fled abusive husband. Sam Bates arrested for insider trading, embezzlement and fraud of investors and partners.**

In a strange twist to a missing persons case this summer, Norma Bates (27) and Dylan Bates (10) are alive and have come forward in an unnamed town in Oregon this past week. Norma and Dylan Bates had been missing since June 22nd, but were not reported missing until two days later by her husband and the boys step-father, Sam Bates.

The two missing persons seemed to have vanished leaving nothing but questions and suspicions in their wake, all pointing to Sam Bates. Investigators soon uncovered an unsavory history of domestic abuse calls, emergency room visits, as well as potentially incriminating banking records.

Sam Bates didn't help matters when he failed to report his wife and step son missing for two days, failed to provide recent pictures, removed carpeting from a potential crime scene, tried to sell his missing wife's SUV as well as other blood evidence left in the house, now believed to be evidence of a sad history of abuse.

Sam Bates was arrested on July 16th when he failed a polygraph and had hired a realtor to sell his home in Arcadia. All things that looked suspicious when his spouse and young step-son were still missing.

The missing Mrs. Bates discovered online that Sam Bates had been under suspicion and arrested for her murder and quickly notified authorities that she and her son Dylan were alive.

Another young child was left in the care of an older relative and will happily be returned to Mrs. Bates now that Sam Bates is awaiting trial for numerous white collar crimes including misleading shareholders and grand theft. All previous murder charges have been dropped.

Mrs. Bates has asked her current home in Oregon remain unnamed in the press to give her and her sons privacy.

~ Norma Bates had never been so happy to see the Arizona State line as when Alex drove over it a few days later. Dylan was content to stay with Oscar and his family and was glad to be making plans for when school started.

"We need to decide what we'll do when we get back home." Alex said taking in all the changes of scenery they had experienced from two days of driving. Norma still didn't have her ID but they would take a plane home when she got it. For now, they would enjoy the peace of the road trip before they got a traumatized six year old.

"Yeah." Norma said. Her only focus was on Norman right now. Her arms ached from not being able to hold him. She'd forgotten the way he smelled and had been terrified for him when she found out he was in a foster home.

"Nick Ford will be coming back next week." Alex told her. "Means we'll have to move out."

"Oh." Norma said. "Yeah. I thought the boys and I could rent a place. We don't need much."

"I was thinking…" Alex said carefully. "I mean, maybe the four of us could get a place together. I mean, rent is expensive in town. If we got a place together-"

"Alex." she sighed. They'd already had this conversation.

"I know." he said. "I know. Baby steps."

"I'm not even divorced yet." she said. "I just want to get my life back. Get my boys feeling safe and normal again before I have… I don't know, a love life."

"I get that." he nodded.

"I need to put them first for a little while." she added sadly. She wished it could be different, but she didn't want to be the kind of mother who so easily allowed a man to come into her life and let him take over. She'd done that with Sam and look what had happened. No, she had plenty of cash still hidden and she could afford to rent a place in town. Maybe even buy a place if that's where she wanted to live.

"What will you do for work?" Alex asked her. She shrugged.

"Larry sent me this letter from some publisher. They want me to write a book about leaving Sam and surviving the abuse. I think I'd like to do that. Just for fun you know? Maybe a cathartic type of thing. For money, I'm not sure yet."

"It might be a good for you." Alex agreed. They passed through the larger city limits and Norma felt anxiety over seeing Norman again after so many months. In the wake of the terror attacks in New York, her story hadn't made big news at all. Even in their small town, she'd already been forgotten for the larger story of terror and a collapsing World Trade Center.

"What if he doesn't remember me?" Norma panicked.

"He'll remember you." Alex told her calmly. "He wouldn't forget you. You're his mother."

She shifted in her seat.

"I just… it's been over three months, Alex." she said.

"It's only been three months." he assured her. "Kids remember their mothers forever, Norma."

~ It seemed to take forever to pick up her ID from the evidence holding at the Arizona police. The men there looking at her cruelly and Norma staring right back at them with a new steel she'd found she'd suddenly had. They didn't like to be stared down like that, and withered away from her.

These men, who had refused to help her before, didn't like her standing up to them now. Didn't like her casting her eyes on them. Cutting them with her eyes. She made a mental note to herself to write that down. That she could hurt these enemies of hers with just her eyes if she wanted to. Hurt them for all the times they refused to look at her when she was crying and bleeding.

Even now, they didn't want to look at her. They didn't look at her the way Alex looked at her. The way the other cops that Alex worked with looked at her. This wasn't her home anymore though. She would leave as soon as she had Norman.

~ Alex drove them next to a family visitation center to collect Norman. All she had to do was show her ID with her horrid old picture, Alex teased her about it, and wait for Norman to arrive. Her little boy had grown a little, gotten a hair cut and new clothes, but other than that, he hadn't changed much.

"Norman!" she cried violently when he ran to her. Her youngest son was never much of a talker and didn't express himself with words now. His face lit up when he saw her and it was clear he remembered her.

~ The man with his mother was very strong and he lifted Norman up, and put him securely in a car seat for the car ride home.

"I got you something, buddy." The man told Norman while his mother was signing papers and talking with other grown ups. She looked pretty now. Her hair was different and she smiled more. She looked like an angel.

Norman looked at the man curiously. His world had been nothing but strangers these past few months and he wanted his mother back with him. But this man was calm and his voice was gentle. Even the way he'd picked him up was gentle and Norman wasn't afraid of him. He presented Norman with a good sized, well made stuffed dog. The kind police men have on TV. It even had a little vest with yellow letters on it.

"It's a police dog." the man told him. "I got it so you'll have a friend on the plane. Someone to keep you safe. So you won't be scared."

He ran a hand over the big yellow letters on the stuffed dog's vest.

"See? It says 'police' on it. Police protect you. It's what I do." the man with the kind voice explained.

Norman liked the big stuffed dog right away. It was practically like having a real dog. It was so life like with it's big brown eyes and the way it sat on it's haunches.

"It's got a tag on its' collar to." the man said. "See? It says _'To Norman, from Alex.'_ Cuz we're always going to be friends, okay?"

Norman only nodded. He wanted to say more, but he knew from long experience not to speak. Speaking or crying was always bad. Grown ups spoke, or screamed, yelled and cried. The man waited for him to say something, but Norman only focused on the dog. He loved this dog.

"Norman?" his mother was saying. "What do you have there? Can I see it?"

Norman hugged his new dog close to him. He didn't want anyone to take it away. It was his. He didn't even want his mother to see it.

~ Norma sat back in her seat while Alex put the car into drive. She hadn't noticed the stuffed dog Alex had stashed in the trunk for Norman. Hadn't even thought about a present for him until they saw how little and small he was. How much he needed comfort.

She turned to Alex in amazement that he'd thought to give Norman a stuffed animal.  
"He won't even let me see it." she complained in amused shock.

"I don't know what to tell you." Alex grinned.  
"A police dog?" she asked looking back at her son who was obsessed with his new friend.

"I like police dogs." Alex told her.

She shook her head. She was filled with a sensation of gratitude. Thankfulness that Alex had not just brought Norman the stuffed dog and driven them here, but for everything. For everything he'd done for her and everything he'd been to her.

"I love you." she said simply.

Alex was slightly taken off guard. He'd merged into heavy traffic with all the annoying drivers trying to get home.

"What, you're telling me this now?" he laughed. It was the first time she'd said it to him. The first time she knew she'd meant it to.

"Yeah." she grinned looking at the traffic rush past them.

"Well, I love you to." he admitted. He saw an opening and merged into the right lane that would take them into the airport.

"Norman, we're going to go on a plane. It's going to be a lot of fun." he told the little boy behind him who said nothing.


	17. Chapter 17

17.

~ "Will you have to go to war?" Dylan asked. His eyes were wide and concerned while relaying all the gossip he'd heard at school to Alex. What happened that September in New York seemed important and life changing and it was all the school kids talked about. All their teachers and parents talked about.

Norma had taken Alex's suggestion and not allowed Dylan or Norman to watch TV.

Norman looked at Alex. The child had only recently stopped clinging to his mother's skirt so insistently and taken to pulling on Alex's hand for attention. The younger child intensely curious about the grown man who spoke softly to him and his brother, and who sometimes brought them plastic dinosaur toys.

Alex glanced back at Norma, saw she was busy, and wasn't paying attention to them. She was writing most nights and Alex was a convenient baby sitter.

"No." he told the two anxious little boys. "No, I won't go to war."

"But you were in a war before." Dylan said miserably. "Brad said his dad is enlisting."

"Well, I've already served two tours." Alex said calmly. "They don't want me to go again. They said I'm supposed to stay here and look after the two of you and your mother."

Dylan looked suspicious, but Norman seemed content at this. In the months since he'd come to live in White Pine Bay with his mother, Norman had gone from barely making a sound and bedwetting, to screaming for attention like a toddler and finally, to forming words.

It was terrifying to think of the amount of trauma the little boy must have suffered to so completely silence him and hold back his emotional growth. But every month brought Norman a little more out o his shell. He wanted his mother's attention understandably, but also Alex's. He would pull on Alex's hand and cry for no reason at all.

Tantrums were a daily thing with Norman when these adults weren't giving him their full focus and praise. Norman insisted on sitting near Alex while they watched TV and didn't like it if Dylan talked too much. He wanted to show Alex his new bed spread or toothbrush and screamed in anger if he caught Alex and his mother kissing. Unlike a child of six, Norman behaved like a violently jealous toddler who wanted everything and everyone within his reach. He wasn't about to share his mother or Alex with anyone.

Yet, just as quickly as it had started, this phase ended when he noticed Alex would pay more attention to Dylan, when he was quite and spoke with words.

Norman was very good at saying 'No' and 'Mom' and 'Dylan', but he hadn't reached that crucial part of connecting words yet.

Norma was working with him to learn words as well as to better express himself. Everyday was an improvement, but there still lingered that ghost of a child he'd once been. A child who never spoke or even cried. Who expected yelling at any moment and for there to be crying and screaming, blood and violence.

"They didn't say that." Dylan smiled but looked relived Alex wasn't leaving them.  
"No." Alex agreed. "They didn't say that, but it's true. I'm not leaving you guys. A few of the other deputies have enlisted though and that's why I've been working more hours."

"Yeah." Dylan nodded. He was eleven already. He understood.

"Ralph!" Norman said holding up his police dog. No one had paid attention to him for a while and it was upsetting. Alex and Dylan glanced at him and he pointed to where Norma was typing in the eat in kitchen. It had been her work space for the past six months since they moved into the cramped little apartment on High Street.

She wrote everyday after work at City Hall. A file clerk job she was practically gifted with when her odd little story broke. The pay was next to nothing but it came with good benefits and all she had to do was file and pull court cases, marriage licenses, death certificates and other oddities. She became a notary and that entitled her to a marginal raise, but her real job these days was writing.

Alex didn't ask about her book. He would only read a few chapters when she deemed they were ready to be sent off to the publishers. He found her story surprising. Not at all the strange story of a woman who had accidentally been counted as dead but who had just run away. Instead, Norma wrote about things Alex had never thought about. Radical notions that reminded him of the rebellious literature of the 1960's. The kind of memoir that teenage girls would read, and would change their lives.

Norma wrote short, poetic chapters about her childhood. About poverty and not understanding poverty until you're older. Alex hadn't known this about her. Hadn't known she had a brother named Caleb who she was close to. How she would create a distraction in a local grocery store so Caleb could steal food for them. How it was all so amusing, now that she was on the other side of it.

Norma wrote about her mother. A woman who never seemed to wake up. She never woke up literally or figuratively. A woman who forever cited old movies as a reference for real life. Who didn't seem to understand what was real.

Norma wrote about her father and how he was like a beast. How everyone was afraid of him and how no one was safe in that house. She wrote about becoming pregnant at sixteen and having her son at seventeen. About resenting the baby because he'd stolen her youth away. How she felt guilty about resenting the baby because she loved him, but also wanted more for herself.

Sam's role in all this was like a tragic downfall. Admitting she'd lost all control and taken the easy way out. She described gaining weight, losing hope and allowing terrible things to happen.

Then, one day, she was free. She wrote about standing naked in front of a bathroom mirror and described her bruises and the rolls of unseemly fat. She described how she hated herself, but then realized how all this was cosmetic and changeable.

She wrote, in the same style, about police never looking at her, never seeing her, but she could see herself now. Her chapters became motivational and inspiring then. Even Alex, who couldn't understand what it was like to be a woman who was abused and with two small children, felt empowered by it.

The last chapter he'd been allowed to read was iconic. It described a suicide of sorts. A ripping apart the old flesh and letting it die. Norma no longer saw herself as that weak, cowardly woman anymore. She described herself as a warrior who destroyed her demons and came through the fires beautiful.

Alex wasn't sure how she would end it, but he was excited to find out.

~ Norma clutched the phone to her ear and waited for her agent to pick up. Alex had put the boys to bed for her and was waiting patiently for her to come to bed with him.

She smiled and nodded at him and mouthed that it would be a few minutes. Alex raised his brows. He knew how it was these days. His busy queen bee. It was a line he often teased her with, but she was happy. For the first time in a long time, she was in control of her life.

"Norma!" her agent Sonya Pearson spat. "Now, I thought we agreed on a crapy, sappy tell-all story about being mistaken for dead!"

Norma wanted to defend herself but she hesitated. Sonya didn't seem upset.  
"I mean, shit!" Sonya cried. "I couldn't put this down! Where the fuck was this book when I was sixteen and my heart was being broken? Every teenage girl in America will want to read this. This will be the female version of catcher in the fucking rye, Bitch."

"Really?" Norma asked skeptically. She'd been having her doubts about the manuscript. It wasn't very long and she'd glossed over a lot about her childhood. Dylan's father for example and some of the unsavory parts she didn't want the world to know.

"Yes! This is the story girls need to read. The story we should have read when we were this age!" Sonya argued.

"Well, that's why I'm calling. I don't know if I want to publish. A lot of it, it's personal. I can write about… what you wanted me to-"

"Fuck that!" Sonya spat. "We're doing this story. This is the rebel story, Norma. This is the angry girl who's been pushed down too long. This is apart of her war cry."

"I…"

"Look, if you want, we can put it under another name. I get it. A lot of shit in here is personal. You live in a small as fuck town and you've got the two kids." Sonya told her.

Norma glanced at Alex who had checked on the boys. Norman wanted Alex to put him to bed each night. Her youngest son seeming to emulate Alex at every chance. He would even eat like him these days and refused to share him with his mother. It was as if Alex were a possession that belonged to him and he didn't want to share.

"Look, a first timer like you gets her cherry popped for a little under 5k." Sonya said gruffly. "After that, royalties come in depending on how well the book will do. We print this on the soft back, make it affordable for our young, edgy teen girls. Get write ups in blogs. Keep it cool and underground. I think a pen name would be best."

"A pen name?" Norma asked. "What?"

"Well, the name Norma sounds like someone's grandmother. So we need something edgy and cool. Something mythical and magical. Something that would appeal to our target audience." Sonya said.

Norma never thought of her name as old.

"I…" Norma stammered.

"I got it!" Sonya snapped. "Juno! She's the Roman goddess of the home, marriage and family. She's the mother goddess."

"Juno… what?" Norma asked. She didn't care for the name.

"Just Juno." Sonya said. "Like Cher. It adds mystery. People will think you're twenty something."

"I am twenty something." Norma said dryly.

"Yeah, but most women your age don't have two kids and have just finished a second divorce." Sonya said tartly.

Norma almost argued with her, but Sonya was talking very fast.

"I'll fed-ex the contracts over and you have that scummy little lawyer of yours look them over. This time next year, you'll be published!" she said.

Norma was about to tell her off but the line went dead.

"Hey." Alex whispered.

Norma stared in wonder at the phone.  
"They want to publish. They think its'… good. But they want to change my name." she told him to his unasked question.

"Like Marylyn?" Alex asked. "You know she was still Norma Jean in the end."

Norma smiled and ran a hand over to the star pendant Alex had given her for Christmas that year.

It was an unusual star. Not something anyone could find in any shop. Alex had it custom made with a bright sapphire in it's center and long, elegant points reaching outward. It was defiantly a star, but unlike any she'd seen before. He'd given her the pendent because she wasn't ready for a diamond engagement ring yet.

For now, she needed to be a mother and to find out who she was outside of a relationship. It had so far been a good deal. Alex came over most nights for dinner and to keep the boys company while she looked through her diary for what to write about. Her leather grimoire proving invaluable when she wrote. As if seeing things in a new light. Things she'd forgotten about with Alex's love and her boys feeling safe.

"Maybe it's for the best. I mean, if no one knows… the real me." she admitted. She'd written about Caleb in her diary. What he'd done to her. What she'd allowed him to do to her for so long. How she'd loved him and how they had a son together. She'd never allow Alex to read that though. Never allow that to be published. To write these demons down seemed to give them life. A life she was powerless to control now that Sonya had the words and was going to call her a goddess.

"It was all so personal." she admitted. "This way, I can still be me."

Alex extended a hand to her.

"Let's go to bed. Think about it in the morning." he said.

 **White Pine Bay Current**

 _December 1st, 2002_

Just in time for Christmas and a perfect last minute gift, _'Everything Nice'_ by our own Norma Bates, is finally available right here in White Pine Bay Bookshop.

Norma Bates has collected a wealth or easy recipes for all year round and added beautiful pictures and back stories for each dish. This cookbook promises a lot of fun times in the kitchen for families. Hopefully, cooking from this book will be a new tradition here in White Pine Bay.

Norma Bates will be at the White Pine Bay Bookshop on Hope Street this Saturday to sign autographs of her wonderful cookbook.

 **White Pine Bay Current**

 _March 5th, 2003_

 **Sheriff Wayne to take an early retirement.**

Sheriff James R. Wayne will take an early retirement effective at the end of the year. Sheriff Wayne has served the citizens of White Pine Bay since his first election over ten years ago. He's put forward local Deputy Alex Romero to act as interim Sheriff until the next election.

"I have tremendous faith in Deputy Romero." Wayne was quoted yesterday. "He's lead the way in shutting down some of the more bothersome areas of town such as the Sea Fairer Motel. A place that was breeding crime and was a general eye sore. Unfortunately, law enforcement is a young man's work. Alex Romero has a good moral compass. I know he will do what is best for this community."

A retirement party will be held for Sheriff Wayne this Friday at the Lyons Club. Please check the cub's web sight for details.

 **White Pine Bay Current**

 _September 2, 2003_

 **'Everything Nice' in White Pine Bay**

Local woman Norma Bates will be opening a new home goods gift shop downtown that will offer cooking classes for couples and small groups. Norma Bates has already gained some celebrity by her recent cookbook _'Everything Nice'_. A local favorite here in White Pine Bay with beautiful picture recipes and stories of each dishes origin.

She promises her new business, which specializes in high end home goods, will sell everything an orderly kitchen will need, and will be the perfect one stop shop for all bridal registry orders.

 _'Everything Nice'_ named after her best selling cookbook, will sell _'Everything Nice'_ for your home.

 **New York Times Book Review**

 _March 20th, 2004_

 **'I Slay Dragons' by Juno**

No one can deny the power of this book by the scrappy little publishing company Bartson Trail. It has the motivational power that just isn't found in average literature. In a world of ever sugary teen literature, _'I Slay Dragons'_ stands out.

With it's shocking honesty about poverty, teen pregnancy, spousal abuse, self image and finding the courage to change, this is the only book our girls should be reading. Unfortunately, it's these very honest subjects that have parents wanting this book on the banned list.

It describes vivid encounters of sexual abuse by an unnamed person, an out of wedlock birth, marital rape, violence in the home, and self abuse. Yet, it is these very evils that made the protagonist so shockingly human. It becomes the book, the story that speaks to all of us.

A huge success and anthem with young women, _'I Slay Dragons'_ has it's readers demanding more from it's mysterious writer. A writer who pens her work from the name of 'Juno' and refuses to make public appearances.

 **White Pine Bay Current**

 _November 5th, 2004_

 **Interim Sheriff Romero wins election.**

Deputy and interim Sheriff Alex Romero ran unopposed in his election to be the new Sheriff of White Pine Bay. Romero had taken over as interim Sheriff after Sheriff Wayne retired late last year.

When asked for a quote, Sheriff Romero responded that he's "Very happy to have earned the trust of his fellow citizens".

 **White Pine Bay Current**

 _December 2nd, 2004_

 **County Clerk Report, page 2**

 **Marriages and Marriage Licenses**

Juliet Brams, 18 and Travis Smith 19, applied for a marriage license on November 29th at White Pine Bay City Hall

Delia White, 30 married John Algarve 45 on November 29th at White Pine Bay City Hall.

Ava March, 23 married Don Walsh, 24 on December 1st, at White Pine Bay Lutheran Church.

Norma Bates, 30 married Alex Romero 36 on December 1st at White Pine Bay City Hall

Clara Low, 29 and Tom Right 34, applied for a marriage license on December 2nd at White Pine Bay City Hall

 **White Pine Bay Current**

 _March 3rd, 2005_

 **'Everything Nice' Again?**

After the success of her first cookbook, Norma Bates (known locally as Norma Romero) will release her second cookbook this December. Just in time for the holidays.

"It has been such a wonderful experience to touch so many people's lives." Mrs. Romero admitted. "My community is like an extended family."

Norma Bates is married to our very own Sheriff Alex Romero and is also the owner of a home good store, also called 'Everything Nice'. She teaches cooking classes for couples and small groups and has an impressive display of home wears should anyone need to check something off for the bride and groom.

 **White Pine Bay Current**

 _January 10th, 2006_

 **Sheriff Romero and wife welcome daughter.**

Sheriff Alex and Norma Romero, owner of 'Everything Nice' home goods shop and author of two cook books by the same name, have welcomed home their first child together, a daughter they have named Theresa Rose.

Theresa is welcomed home by her parents and her two older brothers, Dylan and Norman Romero.

The Romero family thanks the community of White Pine Bay for their support.

 **New York Times Book Review**

 _November 30th, 2007_

After years of waiting, a new day has arisen for the rabid fans of ' _I Slay Dragons'_ the first and only book written by the enigmatic Juno.

 _'Not all Witches Burn'_ will be released next month, and its' title is most likely a scathing jab at detractors of her first book, saying its' writer Juno practices witchcraft and encourages her readers to do likewise.

Early reviews of the new book proclaim it to be on par with the first one with poetic stories of a grim childhood and overcoming abuse and self loathing.

 _'What was so moving to me was the evolution of the brother and sister incest.'_ wrote one reviewer. ' _Juno wrote that it started out as a confused sort of 'love' relationship that she didn't understand the power of. A force that when she refused to comply sexually to her older brother, he raped her repeatedly. The fact she can say she loved him and has forgiven him, speaks to the power of forgiveness. Juno doesn't shy away from the fact that not everyone may be ready to forgive, but we all should be ready to move away from those who have wronged us.'_

 _'I loved how Juno said to never let the shadow of your enemy touch your body. Never let those who hate you, cast darkness on you. That had so much power to it.'_ wrote another reviewer.

 _"Not all Witches Burn"_ will be available December 15th.

 **White Pine Bay Current**

 _February 15th, 2008_

 **A Valentines Baby for Sheriff and Mrs. Romero!**

Valentines Day is now extra special for the Romero family here in White Pine Bay. The couple welcomed their second child together yesterday, a daughter they have named Sarah Anne.

Sarah Anne Romero will be welcomed home by her older siblings Dylan, Norman and Teresa Romero.

Sheriff Alex Romero will once again run unopposed for Sheriff this election year, and Mrs. Romero is the author of _'Everything Nice'_ a dual cookbook which has become a staple in most White Pine Bay homes. Mrs. Romero also owns and runs a high end home good store, also called _'Everything Nice'_ located downtown.

 **White Pine Bay Current**

 _June 29th, 2014_

Congratulations to Officer Dylan Romero, United States Marine Corps

Dylan Romero, 24 of White Pine Bay had recently graduated from the officers training for the United States Marine Corps.

Second Lieutenant Romero was cheered by his family and fiancé Emma Decody at the officer's graduation ceremony in Quantico, Virginia this past weekend.

When asked for a statement, Second Lieutenant Romero stated: "I'd always wanted to join the Marines like my dad. He's always been the man I looked up to. Mom insisted I finish school first, and mom makes the rules in our house."

Sheriff Alex Romero was an MP in the United States Marines during the first Gulf War and served two tours with distinction.

 **White Pine Bay Current**

 _June 20th, 2015_

 **Norman Romero: Class of 2015 Valedictorian**

Norman Romero had achieved the honor of being this year's Valedictorian. In addition to his excellent grades, Norman Romero is also the founder and president of the Future Doctor's of America Club.

He's been accepted at the University or Oregon on a full scholarship and wishes to not only study medicine and pharmacology, but mental illness.

"My mother is my greatest inspiration." Mr. Romero said in his Valedictorian speech yesterday. "She's overcome so much over the years. I know none of it was easy, but she made it look easy. She's inspired so many people in ways none of you can ever dream of."

Norman Romero is the second son of Norma Romero and the adopted son of Sheriff Alex Romero.

 **New York Times Book Review**

 _August 19th, 2017_

'Juno' stands the test of time.

While other teen books have fallen away like so many sparkly vampires, Juno's two books have become an unstoppable force.

Her books are banned in most school libraries because of the depiction of incest and rape, but that doesn't make her stories less sacred in the hearts and minds of the women who read them.

The writer has always been a mystery, even to her own kind, but it's this mystery that had captured the imagination of her fans. Her agent and publisher has refused to give away her secret identity and in fact eluded that Juno is everything from a transvestite with mother issues, to a working single mother who write cookbooks as a blind.

Whomever Juno is, she deserves the praise she's received over the years. In the new era of women's marches and politicians bragging about sexual assault, Juno has made a comeback equal to the 'Handmaids' in the women's movement.

Her works have laughed in the face of possessive vampire boyfriends, told us that the dystopia future is now and to look our enemies in the eye.

Juno has bucked off the Tween-Lit hierarchy of the trilogy in favor of small stories of empowerment. No princesses, no evil corporate empire to overthrow, no wizards, no factions or televised games to the death.

Her story is timeless, raw and real. All we can hope is that Juno will publish again. There is a whole new generation of young women waiting.

 **Well, my friends. I wanted to end this story here. On a happy note that Norma has conquered her past and inspired others.**

 **I love the idea of a secret identity all through this story and that Alex wanted the real her.**

 **As we see, Norma and Alex are okay with the simple life. A nice, boring, small town life that we know she would love.**

 **My next story will post soon. It will be a WW2 story with Norma and Alex. Vera compared Norma Bates to Hepburn and Bacall and I think she was spot on about that. I picture her as being a very brassy lady of the 1940's who knows her mind and speaks it.**


End file.
